


Asterion's Heaven

by SonRhandi



Category: Dragon Ball
Genre: Adventure, Drama, Swearing, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-10-13
Updated: 2011-12-13
Packaged: 2018-03-03 17:16:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 64,557
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2858720
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SonRhandi/pseuds/SonRhandi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>On a whim of the Kais, Ginyu is summoned to settle a bet. If he can prove that a damned soul can change given the chance, he will be reincarnated. If he fails, his soul will be destroyed. Problem is, he isn't the one that needs to prove he can change...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, pals! I'm uploading some of my stronger fanfics here from Fanfiction.net. The original post date for this fic Oct. 13, 2010. End date is Dec. 13, 2011.
> 
> Disclaimer: I make no claim to DBZ. I'm just having a bit of fun with the characters a while.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, pals! I'm in the process of uploading some of my better fics from ff.net to AO3, starting with this one! Despite the numbering, this chapter is a prologue, and the next begins the chapter count proper.
> 
> Disclaimer: Dragon Ball Z is the property of Akira Toriyama/Toei Animation/Bird Studio/Shueisha.

"Come on! You know as well as I do that that's not how it would go down!"  
  
"Just admit it! I'm right, you're wrong, get over it!"  
  
"Come off it, South Kai!" King Kai shouted in his blubbery voice. "You know as well as I do that's it's completely and entirely possible!"  
  
"And I say you're completely off your nut, North Kai!" South gave his fellow Kai's shoulder a solid nudging with his index finger.   
  
Goku just watched the arguing Kais blankly as he chomped into a leg of lamb. They were apparently having a disagreement about one thing or another; he was chewing too loudly to hear properly. Whatever the reason for their spat, it was clear that both were adamant about their respective points. Simply put, it was just another day in Otherworld.  
  
His lamb stripped down to bone, it was a good a time as any to get some info. "Hey, guys," he called out casually. "What's all the shouting about?"  
  
They both turned to the Saiyan in unison, gritting their teeth. "South Kai here seems to think that there's no hope for evil souls, but I say he's full of it!"  
  
"Meanwhile, those of us with a bit of  **sense,** " his southern accent thickened a bit. "can see plain as day that it simply isn't the case!" South Kai crossed his arms. "Live for evil, die for evil... I don't even think a good soul cleansing is enough to make a difference for some of the kids floating around Hell! I'd bet my beautiful classic convertible on it!"  
  
"Oh,  **really**?" King Kai adjusted his glasses, a sly smile spreading across his face. "And what if I was willing to take that bet?"  
  
South Kai's ears perked up. "And what're y'all willing t' put up? After all, everything you had of value was blown up rather nicely several years ago." He smirked. "I know. You can put up your dignity. You can wash and wax my car every weekend, while wearing a sundress and matchin' hat." He laughed. Even Goku had to snicker at the thought.  
  
The northern Kai squared his hands on his hips. "Very well."  
  
That drew glances from both the other Kai and Goku. "I think the terms of the bet are pretty simple at this point." King Kai began.  "If I can prove that an evil soul can change his ways if given the chance,-- and I  **will** \-- I get your car. But if that soul ends up going back to his old ways, then you'll have yourself your very own personal car detailer. In an unflattering outfit, yet."  
  
"You're surprisingly confident, considering you're guaranteed to lose."A fact the southern Kai found to be more than a bit annoying.  
  
"Heh. I know you from the peaceful south quadrant may not be able to understand, but my neck of the woods has been a rather interesting place to be in recent years, and I've had the chance to have many surprises."  
  
South Kai just scoffed. "Feh. So then, I suppose all that's left is to decide on a soul."  
  
King Kai stroked his catfish face. He hadn't actually thought that far ahead. There were certainly enough notable souls to choose from, but who could he pick that would give him a good chance of winning. Who would even cooperate?  
  
"Uh, excuse me. King Kai?" Goku raised his hand, seemingly unaware of the drumstick he raised along with it. "Actually, I think I might have a suggestion."  
  
Both Kais turned to him. "I hope it isn't someone as obvious as Frieza or the like."  
  
Goku chuckled. "I doubt that guy could ever acknowledge he ever did anything bad, much less change for the better. But actually, I was thinking of one of his men that I fought back on Namek. He was a big, purple guy who could switch bodies with his opponent. He was second only to Frieza in power level, at the time."  
  
"Oh ho, that's reaching back a bit." King Kai folded his arms behind his back. "Captain Ginyu was it?"  
  
"Yeah, that's the guy! I could tell before we fought... that he wasn't as bad as the others. The guys under him, I mean." Goku looked up in thought. "I think, if he hadn't fallen in with Frieza, he would have been a pretty ok guy."  
  
"Hold your horses there," South Kai held up his hand in a ceasing gesture. "A friendly handicap is one thing, but I'm not about to acknowledge a soul that was circumstantially evil!"  
  
King Kai frumped. This bet was starting to be more trouble than it was worth. Then, a thought struck him. "Goku," he began. "You said Ginyu didn't seem as bad as his subordinates?"  
  
The Earth Saiyan shrugged. "In so many words."  
  
"South Kai, if you'll indulge me a bit, I think I can make this bet even more interesting."  


* * *

  
  
"Mm... Hell... Hell... Hell... Heaven... Hell... Hell... Hell... Hell... Heaven..."  
  
King Yemma blew through his judgments as efficiently as he ever did. The sheer amount of souls sent to Hell was a sad reflection of the number evil souls in the universe, but Yemma was both judge and jury, and he had a job to do. He took a sip of his fountain soda. Another day of the queue being backed up, another day of working through lunch...  
  
 _"King Yemma!"_  
  
He did a spit take. "I... Is that you, King Kai?"  
  
King Kai let loose his signature gigglesnort.  _"I'm impressed! You still remember the sound of my voice._  His antennae bobbed a bit as he spoke to the Otherworld judge telepathically.  _King Yemma, I was wondering if I could call in a huge favor."_  
  
The red giant blinked. "Yes, King Kai?"  
  
 _"I'd like to request a certain soul to be summoned to my realm. If things go the way I expect, I will also need to have arrangements made for him to be granted his original body."_  
  
"It's possible." He paused to scratch his beard. "First, the name of the soul you wish to meet with?"  
  
 _"He was called Ginyu, one of Frieza's top-ranking soldiers."_  
  
"Hmm..." King Yemma thumbed through the pages of his massive book. "Ginyu... Ginyu... Ah, here we are. ...Goodness, he certainly has quite the rap sheet. And  **this**  is the person you want to arrange to have his body granted back to him?"   
  
King Kai nodded.  _"Furthermore, I will need to know the region of Hell that four others have been assigned to, so that their bodies may be granted to them, as well. They are the men who served under Ginyu, the members of his Ginyu Force. I'm afraid I don't know their names."_    
  
The South Kai balked. "Now wait a cotton-pickin' minute here, North Kai! You never said anything about--"  
  
"Relax, South Kai. Trust me." He threw his polar opposite an aggressive little grin.  
  
King Yemma grumbled softly and checked the book's index for the Ginyu Force, then browsed his book for the individual members, his brow furrowing with each entry. "King Kai, this..." Yemma shook his head. "I'm sorry, King Kai, but it would be highly irresponsible of me to grant that request. Why it's basically the same as asking for the destruction of Hell itself!"  
  
King Kai tsked.  _"I don't think that would be too much of an issue actually. Are you forgetting we have Goku here with us? I'm sure he wouldn't mind subduing the villains if things get out of hand, would you, Goku?"_  
  
The Saiyan quickly choked down a meat bun. "Well, it'd sort of be picking on them at this point, but yeah, I'd be willing to step in in need be." He ended with a grin.  
  
The North Kai nodded.  _"And anyway, I don't need their bodies restored all at once. I would, of course, be willing to assume full responsibility for anything that went wrong."_  
  
"Uggggghn..." Yemma facepalmed. "May I at least ask  **why**  you need these miscreants restored?"  
  
 _"Mm... Let's just say the South Kai and I are conducting an experiment, and we need to first find a willing test subject."_  
  
Yemma closed his eyes.  _So in other words, another one of your bets._  He sighed internally. "King Kai, though it's against my better judgment, I will grant your request. I shall have the soul of Ginyu transported to the beginning of Snake Way, that you may meet with him."  
  
King Kai allowed himself a sidelong smile.  _"Thank you, King Yemma. I really do appreciate it."_  
  
The giant judged muttered something unintelligible, at which point the northern Kai cut their communication. The diminutive man allowed himself a knowing chuckle, his plan taking shape.  
  
"What's all this about, North Kai!?" South Kai stomped over, a little more than irritated.   
  
"Patience, patience, South Kai!" He threw up his hands in a non-threatening gesture. "I promise you'll find out everything you want to know when we meet with Ginyu's soul on Snake Way. Didn't I say I'd make this bet of ours more interesting?"  
  
South Kai said nothing, choosing to cross his arms in a huff. Goku trotted up to King Kai, a few apples in hand. "So we're really going to meet with Ginyu, huh, King Kai?"  
  
"Well, it certainly seems so. I hope you're not op- **posed**." He snorted, content to laugh at his own joke. "Get it? Ginyu? Op- **posed**?"  
  
Goku and the southern Kai just stared back at him vapidly.  
  
The Kai of the north cleared his throat and adjusted his glasses. "Er... Let's be off."


	2. The Task to Which Your Soul is Set

"Phew! It certainly has been a while since I've last been in this neck of Otherworld!" Goku hopped atop the head of Snake Way, looking down the million miles-long road, then turning to the opposite direction, anticipating their guest's arrival.  
  
"Ha ha! Hard to believe it's been years since that fateful day you crash-landed on my planet." King Kai chuckled, then sighed wistfully. He did so miss his little rock at times.  
  
"You still haven't told me what the whole deal was with these other souls, North Kai!" A vexed South Kai growled, not really in the mood for their idle banter. He could already tell he really didn't like the turn their 'friendly' bet had taken, and it technically hadn't even yet begun.  
  
"Don't steam up your glasses over it." King Kai grinned. "It's like I said earlier, all will be revealed shortly. All we're waiting on is—"   
  
"Ah! There!" Goku pointed ahead. "I see a car heading this way!"  
  
The other two present turned their attention to the road. Sure enough, they could just make out a little compact car puttering in their direction. Its brakes squealed upon reaching the road's end, and a blue bespectacled ogre in a short-sleeved white button down shirt and slacks emerged from the driver's side.  
  
"Oh, hey! You're the guy who gave me a ride here a good ten years ago!" Goku hopped down from the snake's head to greet his distant acquaintance. "How've you been?"  
  
The ogre adjusted his glasses, blinked a bit, and gave a little gasp in realization. "My, if it isn't the famous Goku," he smiled.  
  
"Huh? I'm famous?"  
  
"Why of course!" He clasped his hands together. "As though being the only other person to reach the end of Snake Way besides King Yemma at the time, your feats throughout the years has practically made you a real name around the northern quadrant department."  
  
"Well... pffpht..." King Kai began. "Considering his current state...  _snort_..." South Kai rolled his eyes. Bad joke, ahoy... "You might say... his career ended with a bang! Pfffffffft ha ha ha ha ha ha— _snort_ — bwa ha haha!"  
  
Blank stares all around. Goku gave an awkward little smile. "I guess the same could be said for you, too, huh, King Kai?"  
  
"I suppose you could! Hoo hoo hoo ha ha—wait. That's not funny at all." He groused.  
  
"ANYWAY," South Kai bellowed. "As much as I am happy for your little impromptu reunion, we have business to attend to. Is the soul in question available?"  
  
The office ogre bowed. "Terribly sorry, Mr. South Kai, sir. He is in the vehicle. One moment." He went around to the passenger's side. "Ok, now. Don't try to escape or anything. You'll just end up falling back down to hell from here." He opened the door.   
  
A fluffy cloud-like puff rolled out of the car and onto the road, obediently moving at his escort's side. "May I present, the soul of one, Ginyu." The little puff reared up a bit and bent forward slightly. They assumed it was its version of a bow and nodded in kind.  
  
"...Oh! I suppose it'll be a tad difficult to converse with him like this." The ogre chuckled, then dug into his pocket, producing what looked like a laser pointer. Aiming it at Ginyu's soul, he shined the pointer on him, and began to gesture, as though he was drawing a stick figure in light. When he had finished, the puff began to take the shape of a humanoid, growing into what ended up as a featureless cloud man.  
  
"Hey, what's up? I thought you guys were gonna grant him his body?" Goku poked through the fluff, but was promptly swatted away.  
  
"You must understand, there would be no point in restoring his body fully until he has agreed to the terms of your... experiment, you called it?" The ogre clasped his hands in front. "In any case, at least this way, you'll be able to talk freely."  
  
"Hey! How long are you jokers going to stand around talking like I'm not here!?" Ginyu growled in a voice like gravel.  "Huh?" He cast his gaze to Goku, raising an eye ridge.. "You're that Saiyan from before... You're Goku, aren't you?"  
  
"Hey, you remembered!" Goku stood up.   
  
"Well, you don't really forget going up against a guy like you." He crossed his arms. "What's more, I remember seeing you around from time to time in that little nature house when I was the most stylish frog there."  
  
"Oh, yeah, you  **were**  a frog for a while," Goku rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Sorry 'bout that, but you know..."  
  
"Eh, it wasn't as bad as you might think. So..."  Ginyu smirked, eying the Saiyan's halo. "The guy who took out Frieza finally kicked the bucket, huh? Imagine that..."  
  
"Heh, yeah, things have been pretty crazy like you wouldn't believe!"   
  
"As a matter of fact, I would," chuckled the captain. "Well, anyway, Glasses over here said you all had some business with me?"  
  
"Yes, I  **do**  believe that's why we're all here, unless I'm mistaken, North Kai?" The southern Kai's voice was thick with irritation. King Kai cleared his throat and straightened his back, stepping forward as Goku stepped back.  
  
"Now to the matter at hand," he began. "Ginyu, we have a bit of a proposition for you.."  
  
"Ya don't say?" He muttered, feigning interest in what the cricket king had to say.  
  
The North Kai cleared his throat once again. "Simply put, we'd like to offer you a chance for a new start, to be reincarnated. It seems you left quite an impression on Goku, here. He called on you by name! Well, by general description..."  
  
"So what, you all decided to be pretty swell guys and just  **give**  me a shot at life again?" Ginyu's brow furrowed in reasonable disbelief. "Sorry, Charlie, but I don't buy that."  
  
King Kai threw up his hands. "You got me! I'll give you the full rundown." He paused to adjust his glasses. "We're conducting an experiment of sorts. One that we'd like you to help out with." Ginyu crossed his arms, glaring down at the cricket king "Now, now, let me finish. We want to know whether an evil soul, one that has already been condemned and cleansed, would still commit to evil of their own accord."  
  
Ginyu sneered. "And let me guess: I'm the 'evil soul' in question?"  
  
"Well, not quite. You seem to be an interesting case, actually. How did Goku put it.. You didn't seem 'as bad as the others?' After your conversation, I'm more inclined to believe that, quite honestly."  
  
The captain just 'humphed' in response. King Kai continued. "The evil soul –well,  _souls_ — would be those of your men. That is, the other members of your Ginyu Force."  
  
Ginyu balked. "Whaaaaaaat?  **My**  boys?" He stood there a few seconds, shocked.   
  
King Kai nodded. "That's right. They'll be granted back their bodies for this purpose, and you'll be responsible for them. Simply put, their actions will make or break your chance at being reincarnated."  
  
The cloud captain clenched his jaw as tightly as his form would allow. Getting another chance at life was a great thing in itself, but he hadn't seen his subordinates in many years. In death, he thought they could be reunited, and at least make their stay in Hell significantly more stylish, but he just plain wasn't able to  **find**  any of them! It wasn't that the featureless-ness of bodiless souls was complicating matters, –even after a good, thorough cleansing, some souls still had a fair amount of residual evil (he felt the crushing blackness of Frieza almost immediately) –but he just plain couldn't  **sense**  any of his team members.   
  
He didn't care to admit it, but an afterlife in Hell was completely and utterly boring, and above all, lonely.  
  
"As you probably already noticed when you first were sent to Hell," began the cricket god once more. "You weren't able to sense the presence of your teammates."   
  
Ginyu gave a curt little nod. "Hit the nail on the head. So what gives?"  
  
"Ah, if I may interject, Mr. North Kai, sir?" Glasses piped up, eager to share his professional knowledge. "As you know, all souls are cleansed before entering the place of the rest of their afterlife. Those souls whose lives were largely comprised of evil deeds, upon cleansing, commonly lose much of their memories. Even if you were to come across someone you knew, they may not remember you at that point, if you somehow relate to those evil memories."  
  
The captain gave a disappointed little sigh. "Well, that certainly explains a lot..." He squared his hands on his hips. "So, ok. I keep my boys from tearing across Hell and beating up on ogres and so on and so forth, and I get to have a new life. Good deal. Now suppose—and this is just supposin', mind—that I fail. What happens then?"  
  
King Kai blinked. "Er, well... You would lose your body at that point, and I guess you'd just be left to float around Hell for all eternity!"  
  
Ginyu shrugged. "Fair's fair, I suppose."  
  
"Now wait just a minute there, North Kai!" South Kai slunk up to the front, looking positively devious. "If you're going to take it upon yourself to shake up our little 'experiment,' then it's only fair that I get to throw my own little twist in. First off, cloudpants here isn't allowed to let his good ol' boys in on any of this. If they're gonna behave, they've gotta do it on their own. No incentive allowed."  
  
They could all agree to that. "Furthermore," he continued. "If Ginyu here fails, that is, if even  **one**  of his ol' boys slips up in a big way, he ceases to exist. Do not pass go, do not collect 200 Zeni."   
  
Both Goku and King Kai reeled in surprise, and even Ginyu let his jaw drop just a little. "Um, don't you think that's a little extreme, South Kai?" The Earth Saiyan was the first to speak. "I mean, shouldn't just going back to Hell be enough of a loss? I don't think your bet is worth  **that**  much..."  
  
Goku clamped his hands over his mouth. The glare that both Kais shot him let him know he goofed in a big way, though he really didn't need to be told at that point. He quietly retreated to the background. "Oh, so that's what this whole charade is about," Ginyu half-growled, half-chucked. "...All right."  
  
The Kais turned back to Ginyu in surprise. "All right?" King Kai took a step forward. "You mean, you agree to the terms? All of them?"  
  
"Gimme a sec here," he held out his hand in a ceasing gesture. "Don't get me wrong. I  **really**  don't like the idea of being wiped out of existence, but if it's a choice between the crippling boredom of an eternity's stay in Hell or dying when I'm already dead, it makes no difference. Just one thing: when I  **win** , we all get reincarnated. All of us. It's only fair, seeing as it's my existence at stake. The scope of the payoff ought to match the loss, don't you think?"  
  
Both North and South exchanged glances. "I don't think it'll be an issue, if they're all able to change," muttered to South Kai.  
  
"It'll make things that much more interesting, at the very least," was South Kai's response. He turned back to Ginyu. "Then we're agreed. We look forward to the results of the 'experiment,' Ginyu." He punctuated with a sidelong smile.  
  
"Ha, I'll bet." Ginyu looked over his shoulder. "Say, Glasses!" The Captain started. "Can you really restore my body with that little gizmo of yours?"   
  
"Oh, indeed. As you can probably tell by now, this is more than just a handy laser pointer. It can restore a soul to his or her original body."  
  
"How's about someone else's? I had one that I was using for a good while, and it was rather comfortable. I doubt the original owner is using it."  
  
Glasses blinked, not sure of the implications. "It's fine, young man," King Kai reassured him. "Do as he asks. If King Yemma or your supervisor or whoever gives you any problem about it, I'll take responsibility."  
  
The office ogre nodded and fiddled with the device a bit, adjusting the settings. "If you're ready," he looked up to address Ginyu. "Concentrate in your mind the form that you would like to take, and I'll restore you."  
  
Ginyu closed his eyes. It surely wouldn't be too hard to remember. It was a tall, robust body, broad in chest and shoulders; lavender skin; a hairless, high-crowning, distinctively veined head with black, highly-polished horns jutting out on either side (it was his favorite physical trait at the time; he was happy to have horns similar to Frieza). His body had been bulky, though his muscles were shaped to physical perfection. The irises of his old eyes were... red. It was getting a little difficult to hit on any distinguishing characteristics beyond that. "Ok, I think I've got it."   
  
"All right, then..." Glasses took a step back and shined his laser pointer at Ginyu, drawing another stick figure in light over top his form. The image lingered, then dissipated into a million thin streaks, all bolting into Ginyu. He lurched, cloud form pulsating and steadily becoming solid. Fluff became flesh, and Ginyu found himself whole.   
  
He inspected his hands; they were still as broad as he remembered. He felt his face; rough skin and a strong jawline greeted him. He ran his fingers over his head; every vein was there and accounted for. He tapped his horns; two of them, as it should have been.  
  
It wasn't until he patted his chest that he flinched disapprovingly. He was clad in his old armor, the armor of the Imperium Friezanum. "Hey," he began, addressed to no one in particular. "What gives? How come I ended up with this outfit?"  
  
"Even the afterlife has a sense of decency to maintain," Glasses responded. "Whatever clothing was on the body last will be restored along with the body. It just makes things simple."  
  
Ginyu snorted. Then, an idea hit him. "Say, can that little doohickey change clothes, too?"  
  
The ogre pushed up his specs. "I'm afraid it's not a portable wardrobe," he stated matter-of-factly.  
  
"Hey, King Kai! How's about doing him a good turn and doing that thing you do?" Goku piped up, feeling safe from the threat of reproach. "Y'know, that clothes beam with your feelers."  
  
King Kai grumbled. He would really have to speak with Goku regarding his level of casualness in the near future. "Very well." The northern Kai's antennae whipped forward. "Your request?"  
  
"Any chance you'd be able to set me up with standard issue armor from the third tribe of the moon of Planet Bench? I can think up a mental image if it'll help."   
  
"Go for it. I'll do the rest."  
  
Ginyu closed his eyes. "...Ok, ready."  
  
With a glow at the tips of his antennae and a flash of light surrounding Ginyu, his old tainted armor was replaced with his requested set. A dark blue leotard hugged his muscular frame, cut low enough to be confused for a singlet at its top. Over this he wore a black shoulder guard and partial breastplate on his left side, matching wrist and leg braces and a pliable metal armband. A charcoal loincloth he sported was held in place by a black leather cinch belt, and the entire ensemble was accented with a sheathed broadsword at his hip.  
  
"Ha! Law of matter conservation be damned!" Ginyu  admired his new attire with an aggressive smile. "You got it right down to the last detail! Not too shabby, old timer!"  
  
"Old timer!? Unbelievable..." King Kai just shook his head and sighed. "But I guess I can't blame you...  _hee hee_... for  **milking**  this for all it's worth! Bwa ha ha ha ha!!  _Snort!_ "  
  
A series of groans were never so well deserved. "...Well, anyway, you should be good to go now," Glasses began, eager to resume business. "Here, this is yours to use now. It's called the Life Pen. It's already been programmed to restore the bodies of your targets and  **only**  your targets. All you need do is aim it at the souls you intend to use it on, and draw a stick figure with the light it emits. Then,  _voila!_  The body is restored."  
  
"Sounds simple enough." Ginyu took the implement from the ogre and tucked it safely behind his breastplate.   
  
"Of course, you'll need to know where these souls are..." Glasses produced a map from his back pocket, unfolding it before the captain. "These four Xs? These mark the general areas in which they have been last seen. We typically separate villains with a team dynamic; it just cuts down on the likelihood of trouble making, you understand." Glasses paused to pull a red marker from his breast pocket.    
"As you know, Hell is just below us. You'll probably have an easier time of things if you were to descend from here. It would put you in the center of the Bloody Lake region," He drew a red circle to represent Ginyu's starting point. "And as you can tell on the map, one of your targets has been spotted in that area."  
  
"So long story short, if I jump from here, I oughta find one of my knuckle-headed boys there someplace. Good a deal as any. Thanks, Glasses." He folded up the map, placing it with the Life Pen, then turned back to the Kais. "I assume you guys have a way of monitoring all this, so feel free to check in whenever. I want to say I had a captive audience when the boys and  I return to life triumphant." He showed a bit of tooth.  
  
"Ha ha! Well, we certainly look forward to your progress." King Kai smiled politely.  
  
"Good luck, Ginyu!" Goku raised his hand in a send off.  
  
"Time's a wastin' now. If you want your triumph, the first part is to start!" South Kai crossed his arms and grinned.  
  
Ginyu just chuckled, amused by the entire thing but very much eager to back up his boast. "Well, I'm off. Catch you at the winner's circle, babies!" And with that, he leapt from Snake Way, down into the swirling vortex that lead into the sinner's den. Though the winds whipped his body and stung his skin, the fact that he could even feel after all this time was worth the pain, and noted curiously that he had been cast into Hell for the second time in his afterlife.


	3. The Loyal Brute Your Soul Must Seek

_The vortex into Hell is no joke,_  the Captain noted. After being inelegantly dumped out of that otherworldly twister, he was unable to right himself in time to avoid one very uncool crash landing. Ginyu groaned, moving to sit up. He rubbed the back of his neck and gave it a good crack before standing and dusting himself off. Initially, he was somewhat perturbed to have his new outfit soiled already, but he was just too incredibly happy. He could feel pain! He could  **feel** , period! True to form, he snapped into a pose. He stood on his right leg, drew his left up, stuck his right arm in the air, and held the left one across his abdomen. Every joint and every muscle moved perfectly in place. The style meter was all the way up to 11, he was sure.  
  
"Yea-he-hea, boy! Still got it!" Roared Ginyu, entirely too pleased with himself. "...Oh!" The man patted his breastplate, then slid two fingers underneath, producing both the map and the Life Pen.  He held the pen to his ear and shook it. Nothing sounded like it had come loose inside. "Good to know you survived the fall, Penny," he chuckled and placed it back under his armor. The map looked no worse for wear, either.   
  
Seeking to find his bearings, Ginyu unfolded it and looked for the mark Glasses had drawn earlier. "...Ah, so there's me," he stuck a finger inside the red circle. Upon further inspection, he noted the existence of several groves shown to be in the immediate west. He held his head up. Sure enough, there were fruit trees in plain view. Some had odd orange ones, a few produced bulbous red ones. Farther into the distance, he spotted a significantly taller tree, though too far away to tell what sort of fruit it had. He seemed to make out a few gold-colored dots between the leaves. He shrugged, decided it wasn't worth too much thought, and turned back to the map.  
  
Traveling south, the map indicated the location of a body of water, a conspicuous red. "Hm, I guess that's why this is called the Bloody Lake region." He had never been, himself. When he had croaked his last croak and was judged shortly thereafter (King Yemma was unbelievably efficient), he found himself in a desolate, gray desert. Despite being surrounded by so much nothingness, he hadn't exactly felt the need to go exploring in other regions. Hell, he hadn't even thought there  **would**  be different regions...  
  
And a short distance beyond the lake, X marked the spot. Ginyu wiped his nose, a little thrilled by the anticipation of finding one of his old subordinates. It was sort of like a hunt for him, a hunt with a ridiculously 'lucrative' payoff. Folding the map and slipping it under his breastplate once more, the captain set off, marching southbound. He practically dominated the landscape. The grass crumpled in terror beneath his feet, and he was certain even the very worms in the dirt were silenced, awestruck by his thunderous steps. Yes, his tromping was mighty, manly and... completely unnecessary.  
  
Ginyu smacked himself in the forehead. He could  **fly** , dammit.   
  
Shaking out his legs and looking skyward, he readied his body for what he hoped would fall back into familiar practice. "Well, nothing to it but to do it!" He leapt into the air, trying to direct his energy to his feet for liftoff. While he did manage an impressive jump with a little hang time, he found himself back on terra firma in a hurry. The captain grumbled. Why was nothing in life OR death ever easy? Of course, he had lived as a frog for a good seven Earth years before his death—Namekian frogs apparently were not as long lived as the respective sapient race. He was practically king of the high jump at this point, even with the time he had spent as a ball of fluff floating around Hell.   
  
Ginyu knew he hadn't been dead for long, perhaps about a year or so. There was no real indicator of time in the afterlife—what need was there for a clock when you were stuck there for eternity? —so there was no real way to be sure. In any case, his newly restored body had no plans on remembering how to fly at moment present, so he figured he'd use the skills of the last years of his life.   
  
He crouched down, swinging his arms forward to build up momentum. Then, he shot into the air, clearing his previous height entirely. As he felt himself begin to peak, he began to survey what he could. He could see clusters of trees going toward the horizon, and only halting at the base of a cliff. The cliff lead on to surround much of the area within his field of view, encompassing what he could see was a clearing of sorts, with dirt roads, what looked to be a few small buildings (and was that an amusement park in the distance?), and dead ahead, a small body of water that was unmistakably red.  
  
"Ha! Thataway!" Ginyu brought his body to a full horizontal, poised to rocket to the lake in a flash.  Unfortunately for him, the only rocketing he managed was a swift descent back down to the ground. He was able to right himself this time, at least, but landed hard on his feet, the vibrations of his landing rippling through his body and rattling his joints.  
  
"Oh, come  **on**!" The captain shouted in a veritable huff. Sure, he hadn't actually expected to fly right back into the game, so to speak, but heck, it had been five—ten minutes already! How long did his engine need to warm up!? ...Warm up! Of course!  
  
Ginyu planted his feet firmly in the ground. Clenching his fists, his muscles tensed as he felt the first warm trickles of energy course through his veins. He began to growl out a low kiai, growing louder as his power was building. Flashes of white began to dance up from his feet, swirling around his legs, circling his torso, and flaring all around his face. The very whole of him was burning up. And then... his voice grew hoarse, and he felt winded. His power just flat out refused to go any higher.  
  
Ginyu threw his hands up in frustration. He didn't know whether to chalk it up to being out of shape or  curse and stomp about in unbridled rage. If he couldn't fly, and he couldn't power up to even half his maximum, should he even expect to have retained his physical strength? He scanned the area for something suitable to test. The surrounding cliff wall not unreasonably far seemed as decent for busting up as anything else, so he made his decision and trotted on over.  
  
The horned fellow squared his hands on his hips, sizing up the cliff side. Confident, he rolled his right fist into a tight ball and drew back. "Okay, time to see what I'm packing!"  
  
His fist shot forth, square into the rock wall. From the point of impact, a huge crack ran up the cliff to its very top, and two smaller ones—about half its length—on either side jutted out. The area his fist struck itself was left as an impressive dent, had already begun to crumble into little pieces in its outer ring. Ginyu pulled out his fist and took a few steps back to assess the damage.  
  
He was mortified.  
  
"Lieutenant Righty, I am very disappoint!" Shouted Ginyu at his hand. Angry and confused, he shot a glare at his right hand's... well, handiwork. That cliff should have been **demolished,**  but by his standards, he barely managed to put a dent in it. What the hell, or  **in**  Hell, was going on? "Hey!" He barked to the sky. "Hey, old timer! Taller timer! Glasses! WHOEVER!" Ginyu began to pace. "I need some answers, and I need them yesterday!"  
  
He was met with silence. "Come ooooon!" He was somewhere between roaring and whining. "What's the deal, huh? I can't fly, I can't power up, and I can't even wreck shop if I need to! Glasses! Did you screw up the settings on the Life Pen when you were fiddling with it before? I'm  **this**  close to declaring shenanigans on this entire thing!"  
  
Again, silence. Feeling unquestionably defeated at the moment, the captain plopped on the ground, completely at a loss. Sure, knocking the mess out of that cliff side would have been an impressive display of power, but in the event something went awry in keeping his subordinates in line, to the point where he would have to subdue them, it was going to be a  **huge**  issue. He really had to take some time and give the problem some serious thought. To his advantage, he wasn't called "Captain" Ginyu for nothing. He was their ranking officer, and his word was second only to Frieza's. Then again, he recalled Glasses's words from the briefing of the 'experiment'. There was a chance that his men may not even remember him, and would certainly have no inclination to obey him. Ginyu groaned. The path to the winner's circle was a long one, it seemed.  
  
 _Hello? Ginyu? Are you there?_  
  
The captain jumped up. He could have sworn the old timer's voice just echoed in his head...  
  
 _Ginyu?_    
  
"Ah! So I'm  **not**  hearing things! That really you, old timer?"  
  
 _Quit it with that 'old timer' stuff. I am **King Kai**_. He grumbled, adjusting the antennae on his portable telepathy TV.  _I'm sorry I wasn't able to respond before now. The reception here is terrible!_  
  
"I've got problems of my own here!" Ginyu huffed. "I couldn't help but notice that I can't do anything remotely useful anymore! Flying and drummin' up my max power are out, and you can forget any obscene displays of physical prowess! It's like being a sad, awkward teenager all over again, and unfortunately for me, I don't think braces are going to help this time!"  
  
 _"Now just calm down, Ginyu... You've only had your body, what, a half-hour at most? Of course, it's going to take time for you to get readjusted to having your old body back."_  
  
"But King Kai, I was able to use my full power right away when I died. Twice, actually--"  
  
"Goku!" The cricket king sighed, giving up before he even started. Scolding the Saiyan was like scolding a stupid little dog that no one could come to hate. _"Yours were different cases entirely. Both times, your body was left intact, and you were even able to train extensively here in Other World. Captain Ginyu, on the other hand, has been stuck as a frog for seven of your years before he died, and has already been disembodied for some time. Have some patience, Ginyu. You'll be able to achieve your max power as you come to re-familiarize yourself in your physical form."_  
  
"Hmm..." Ginyu crossed his arms. "Yeah. Yeah, all right. All right... Anycrap, I've got places to go and people to meet, so I'll catch you later. See ya, old ti—er, King Kai." He cut the transmission. Ginyu stood for a moment to collect his thoughts. When he really stopped to think about it, King Kai's words made perfect sense. Somehow, though, he just couldn't bring himself to believe in them. Sighing, he no longer saw any point in dwelling on it. He had his map, he had his Penny, and he had his goal.  
  
He gave his legs a good stretch before entering a steady, vaulting jog south across the landscape in the direction of Bloody Lake. The surroundings weren't very much to speak of. There were a few trees and grasses interspersed here and there in the otherwise open country, but most notable were the spires of tiered rock all over the place, abundant to the point of the land being littered with them. At his current gait, it only took a short while for him to reach his destination.  
  
Ginyu slowed his pace to a trot, then steadily decreased his speed to a stroll. Taking a look around, souls were darting here, there, and everywhere, and quite literally underfoot. Unlike the desert from which he roamed while he still lacked a body, this place was alive... No, full of spirit... It was  **teeming**  with activity.  
He wondered if whatever section of Hell you were placed in upon judgment depended on the severity of the sin committed in one's lifetime. Looking on, he could see that a dirt path wound around the entire area. It was set up very much like a park of sorts. Wooden benches painted eggshell white were present every few hundred feet or so, and a few patches of green squared off for ornamental trees and flowers. Not one to look a gift path in the mouth, he followed it to its logical location: Bloody Lake.  
  
There were souls  **everywhere.**  Ginyu groaned aloud. Little white fluff balls hopping every which way, and absolutely no way to tell if any of them could be one of his teammates. It was like looking for a needle in a stack of needles. Though he wouldn't call it a lake, personally—the fact that it was decoratively fenced and had a fountain nozzle smack in the middle of it was decidedly un-lake-like—but it was on the map, and it was, in fact, bloody. Beginning to feel just plain overwhelmed, Ginyu retreated to an empty bench and slumped. He just needed a moment to rest and think on how best to conduct his search.  
  
"All right, single file, people! Straight ahead! We'll begin boarding the buses for today's trip to the amusement park in approximately 15 minutes!"  
  
Ginyu raised an eyeridge. On the other side of the park, he could see a rather orderly line of souls being ushered by a large, red ogre in what looked to be workout gear. "Well, this guy certainly looks like he might know a thing or two..." rolled his words, as gravelly as ever. With a grunt, he rose and made his way over.  
  
"Let's go! Keep it moving! If you miss the bus, it'll be your own fault!" Mez sighed. Keeping Hell orderly was no small feat. Trip days were always the worst, and he'd give Goz an earful if he caught him slacking off again.  
  
"Look like you've got your hands full there, pal! You short staffed or somethin'?"  
  
The ogre turned around to meet Ginyu smiling smugly at him. "Hey, mac."  
  
"It's Mez, actually." He pushed up his glasses. "And who are you supposed to be?"  
  
"Well, pleasure to meet you, Mez." It was said just smarmily enough that the ogre was certain it was meant to be sarcastic. "Captain Ginyu's the name, and I'm wondering if you wouldn't mind giving me a bit of your time."  
  
Mez snorted. "Sorry,  **Captain** , but as you can see, I'm more than a little busy at the moment." He turned his attention back to the souls.  
  
Undeterred, Ginyu pressed him further. "Now hold on a minute. I'm just looking for someone. You guys oughta have record of the resident souls here, right? I'm looking for a soul—well, a handful of them, actually. Four of 'em."  
  
"Ha! Take your pick, guy!" He threw his arms out to his sides. "I've got  **way more**  than four souls here, as you can plainly see!"  
  
Ginyu's shoulders drooped. This guy clearly wasn't in the mood to play a game of 20 questions, but there was just no way he'd be able to check each individual soul here. "Give me a break here, guy..." He sighed. "Look. Humor me for a minute. I'm gonna rattle off four names, all right? All you need to do is tell me if any of them ring a bell, and I'll leave you alone. You go back to doing your thing, and I'll get back to doing mine. That reasonable?"  
  
"Ugh, **fine.** " Mez rolled his eyes.  
  
 _Yes! Like they say, small victories where we can grasp them._  He allowed himself an inward chuckle before getting down to business. "Okay, you got a Guldo here?"  
  
"...No. Not that I can recall."  
  
"Al right. How's about a Burter?"  
  
"...Never heard of him."  
  
Damn, "Ok... Maybe a Jeice?"  
  
"Pfft! Who names their kid 'Jeice'?"  
  
"I'll take that as a 'no,' then... Last one: Recoome?"   
  
The red orderly snapped to attention. "Recoome!?" He spun around to face Ginyu. " **That**  troublemaker!?"  
  
 _Awwright!! ...Aw, jeez..._ Ginyu rubbed his forehead in sheer frustration. He'd never felt so victorious over   so little and yet, so very, very defeated. "Dare I even ask?"  
  
"That guy's been a real handful since the day he was dumped here! I understand why the higher-ups are really strict about separating gang members..." He scribbled on his clipboard furiously for a moment. "But we have levels of Hell specifically suited for his kind! He's been so uppity lately that I had to bar him from today's trip to the amusement park!"  
  
"Let's get something straight," Ginyu shot the ogre an icy glare. "Recoome wasn't some finger-snapping, overcompensating thug. He was a member of the most illustrious fighting force in the universe...At the time..." He muttered the last part under his breath.  
  
"Uhhhh-huh..." Mez shot Ginyu a quizzical glance. "Well, if you're down here, and you still have your body, then King Yemma must have plans for you. When he's in one of his sulking moods, Recoome normally goes Bloody Lake just over yonder." He gestured to the top of the cliff in the western distance.  
  
"Wait. That over there isn't Bloody Lake?" Ginyu pointed to the 'lake' across the way.  
  
Mez shook his head. "Use your head! Does that look like a lake to you? That there is Bloody  **Pond**. Didn't you read the sign?" He pointed a large, red finger to the wooden signpost clear as day, alien characters carved into it.  
  
The captain threw up his hands. "I can't read that!"  
  
Mez just snickered. "Well, at least you'll have all of eternity to work on that little illiteracy problem of yours. Good luck with Recoome—you'll need it!" The ogre laughed and continued on his way.  
  
"Illiteracy problem!? I'd like to see you read the display on a scouter, bub!" He shouted after the orderly. "Y'know... If they had 'em... down here..." He suddenly felt very foolish. Well, it was all bloody water off of his back. At least now he knew for sure that one of his boys was around, and the game could officially get underway.   
  
He headed west toward the cliff side that Glasses' meaty red cousin pointed out. Shielding his eyes from a non-existent sun, he rolled his head back and looked up at it, sizing up its height. Fortunately, he could spot a number of ledges that would make for easy scaling, especially if he put his exceptional jumping to it.  
Confident, he spat into his hands and rubbed them together., then bent his knees. "Well, as the old saying goes, 'Alley-oop!'"  
  
Ginyu shot into the air like a rocket, springing forth to the first ledge with all the grace his time as a frog had earned him. "Next!" He hopped to the next one, and the next, and the next, until he finally reached the top of the cliff. Somehow, he had expected to be met with the lake straightaway, not a border of dead forest. He did notice, however, a subtle decline in the land, and taking it to be a sign, followed it to its descent. The trees groupings became less crowded the farther he went, eventually thinning enough where he could see the edge of the other side of the cliff, and as he approached it, he was definitely far from disappointed.  
  
Below was the real deal; they didn't get much lakier than that. Every bit as red as its smaller counterpart, Bloody Lake stretched as far as the eye could see, offset only by a smattering of lakeside stands (vendors, he assumed) ring of woodland continuing  from beyond its western bank. Upon further inspection, he could make out tiny white dots moving about the landscape. When he realized what they were, he closed his eyes and let out a rather audible groan.  
  
More souls. More than he could count in one glance. All puttering around the lake shore.   
  
"...Except there..." Curiously, there was one spot on the north shore that was conspicuously absent of souls. Not just a forgotten patch, no, the berth was so wide that it seemed like they were purposely avoiding the area. On a hunch, he followed the cliff's edge and carefully made his way down the side closest to the empty shore. Managing to climb down without incident, Ginyu then made a beeline for the bank. Aside from the obvious, it didn't really differ from any other closed body of water he'd ever seen. He looked left; he look right; he looked dead ahead; and then, he waited, figuring if he hung around long enough, he'd find out just why none of the souls were approaching this patch of sand.   
  
As the minutes ticked by, he was starting to wonder if his hunch had led him on a wild Recoome chase. Becoming rather bored, Ginyu plopped down in the damp sand and drew his knees up to his chest. This level of Hell was comparatively more interesting to be in than the desert he'd spent his days in up to this point. He fell into a bit of a lull, watching the rented boats row by in the distance. Who'd have thought Hell could be this peaceful?  
  
And then he felt it: a dark yet familiar aura had managed to creep up on him, and it was incredibly close. He also felt a slight tickle on his left thigh. He turned his head down to look, and found a small ball of fluff continuously ramming into him, or ramming into him as much as an oversized cotton ball could. Ginyu shifted into a squat, facing the soul. "Problem?"  
  
The little soul began to shake side to side. He was clearly unhappy about something. Shrugging, Ginyu took it as an opportunity to find out if this was the one he was seeking, and produced the Life Pen. "Stay still for a second, all right?" Just as Glasses had taught him, he shined the Pen's light on the soul, and drew a stick figure in the exact order Glasses had used on him. He then stepped back.   
  
The light of the figure lingered over the soul, and then dissipated and shot into it, just as they had for Ginyu, and before his very eyes, the cotton ball grew and grew and grew until it towered over the captain, and fluff became flesh, and Recoome was whole.  
  
Ginyu was ecstatic. "Yes! I knew it!" He swung a fist in sheer excitement. "Welcome back, Recoo—uhk!!"  
  
A large, meaty hand encompassed the whole of his neck. "Listen up, pal! You're new, so I'm only gonna say this once," he rumbled, a little undercut by his slight lisp. "This here is my spot, and my spot only. Everyone else knows it already, and now you do, too, so after today, you don't got an excuse. Now clear outta here." He dropped Ginyu like he was hot. It was only after he released the captain (now crumpled and coughing on the ground) that he made one startling realization...  
  
"Hey! I felt that! I can really feel again!" He focused his beady eyes and made another discovery... "Heeeey! I have hands!" He pawed about the arms they were attached to, then his chest—clad in his old armor—and continued on to his face and hair. "My body! I have my body back!" He began to laugh uncontrollably in delight. After his laughter had passed, he turned back to Ginyu, crouching to meet him. "Hey, buddy! I don't know what you did, but thanks all the same! Sorry for choking you earlier," he chuckled rather dumbly. Figuring it the least he could do, Recoome hoisted Ginyu up by his shoulders and set him back on his feet, brushing the grit from his armor and horns. "There ya go! Good... as.. new?"  
  
The behemoth became curiously silent. He squinted, studying Ginyu's visage. Something was really nagging him at the back of his mind, like he really ought to know who this person that restore his body was. "Hey, pal..." He began. "Do I know you from somewhere? I'm havin', like, some serious deja vu over here," he ended on another stupid chuckle.  
  
"Recoome, you dolt!" Ginyu barked, slapping the behemoth's hands away. He was positively livid. Whether he remembered his captain or not, he would never appreciate having his neck wrung like a game bird, especially not by one of his subordinates. "Did you really just pose a stupid question like that to your captain!?"  
  
Recoome blinked. "Pose?" A thoughtful expression came over him. "Pose..? ...Pose..."  
  
Ginyu elicited a little gasp. He could see the gears turning in that peanut head of his. Perhaps he could get them cranking a bit more? "Come on, boy!  Our poses are the cornerstone of the Ginyu Force philosophy: style! Get ready now... Captaiiiin... Ginyu!!" The captain snapped into his classic V pose like it was second nature.  "Now, soldier, let's see what you got!"  
  
"Pose... Captain... Ginyu..." He repeated the words in a mantra. Then, in an instant, a spark in his eyes appeared. "And I'm..." He spread his legs apart and pulled his arms down, then shot them across his chest to point at an upward angle. "Recoome!!"  
  
"And together we are..."  
  
"The Ginyu Force!!" They ended in a synchronized shout. The behemoth looked at his hands in awe, panting in excitement. He looked as if he had rediscovered a crucial piece of himself hidden away, long since forgotten to him, and really, that's exactly what he had done. "Captain..." He smiled.  
  
"Good to have you back, Recoome." Ginyu allowed himself a genuine grin.  
  
"Man... This is...  **awesome**!!" The behemoth let loose a hearty laugh. "Now that I've got my body back, I can get that jerkface Mez for makin' me miss out on today's field trip!" He began to march in the direction of Bloody Pond.  
  
"Nooooo-ho-ho-ho!" Ginyu was quick to cut him off. "There's not gonna be any getting of anyone here, all right!?"  
  
Recoome's face faulted. "But... My payback..."  
  
Ginyu sighed. He hadn't expected this sort of thing right off the bat. "...We're not gonna do that kind of stuff anymore. We don't have to. Just... Just let it go."  
  
The ginger pouted, but yielded to his captain's wishes. "All right, Captain Ginyu. I'll be good."  
  
He breathed a sigh of relief. "My boy," he laughed. "Right now, that's all I could ever ask of you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Check out this awesome fanart by my pal, ArmageddonArk! http://armageddonark.deviantart.com/art/GET-OUT-OF-MY-TERRITORY-185899356


	4. The Trek Your Soul Must Endure

Ginyu could hardly contain himself. Not only had he found and restored one of his men on his first try, he was also being treated to ice cream! He had to keep himself from wiggling in anticipation. For all the ease of living that came with being a lesser creature for all those years, he terribly missed the simple pleasures that sweets brought him.  
  
"Sorry for the wait, Cap," Recoome smiled, returning to Ginyu at the picnic table. "One chocolate parfait with extra fudge." He placed it soundly in front of Ginyu, and set his own parfait down before attempting to squeeze his massive legs under the table. When that failed, he resolved to just keep his back to the table and swing his legs outside. "Er, 'bone ape tit' and all that."  
  
"Ape-what..." Ginyu shook his head. It was better to just say nothing and enjoy the cold treat in front of him. He plunged his spoon in for the first virgin scoop, a good chunk of vanilla ice cream with a tantalizing glop of chocolate fudge spreading over it evenly. It was just too good to be true. Hell was wonderful and beautiful and nothing like he ever imagined it. No longer content to stare, he licked his lips and opened wide.  
  
"Mmph?" He pulled the spoon past his lips, rolling the dairy treat around his tongue. Well, it was certainly icy, and it was certainly creamy, but where was the elegant flavor combination? The blissful marriage of vanilla and chocolate having their first dance around the ballroom floor that was his tongue? Simply put, it tasted like cold, silky nothingness. "Er, Recoome..." He began. "I, uh... couldn't help but notice that this parfait lacks taste..."  
  
"I dunno. I think it's rather elegant in its design."  
  
Ginyu's head hit the table with a 'thunk'. "Nooooooo..." He rubbed his forehead. "I mean, it doesn't have a flavor. I can't taste anything."  
  
"Oh, that. Yeah, sorry. I guess I just stopped noticing after a while."  
  
 _Clearly,_  thought the captain, seeing that his ginger companion had already downed half of his. "How do you just  **stop**  noticing that nature's most perfect food no longer tastes like nature's most perfect food?! Or anything else, for that matter!"  
  
"Well, it is Hell..." He gulped another spoonful. "We're supposed to be here for punishment, right? I can't think of a more effective way to drive it home than giving a guy access to all sorts of goodies, and then completely taking away what makes them enjoyable."   
  
Ginyu paused for thought. He did make a very valid point, but then, Recoome was an undeniable sadist. That line of thinking would of course make perfect sense for him... "I think I just eat them out of routine at this point," the behemoth continued, scraping his spoon along the sides of the glass for whatever flavorless morsels he could gather.   
  
Watching the behemoth eat so methodically and appearing so utterly joyless while doing so, he could believe it. It was a real contrast to his behavior in the past, carrying on like an excited little child during their afternoon snack break. Ginyu felt his chest tighten just a little.  
  
"Mm, you gonna finish that, Captain?"  
  
"Huh?" Ginyu looked up, not realizing that he had let his mind wander and his parfait begin to melt. "Nah, you... you have it." He scooted the glass to the behemoth, who dutifully began to attack it. Ginyu sighed and turned away, not wishing to endure the pain of watching him eat a sad shadow of a chocolate parfait. Resting his elbow on the table top and crossing his legs, he leisurely slipped his map out of his breastplate and began to review it, shaking it out as one would a newspaper.  
  
The crinkling of paper drew Recoome's attention. "Whatcha got there, Captain?"  
  
"A map of Hell, which may or may not be entirely accurate," he grumbled. Clearly, the blame lay with the cartographer. It  **certainly**  didn't have anything to do with him just plain failing to read it properly earlier... "I'm looking to get the band back together, you might say, and with the help of this map and Penny, I can do just that."  
  
"Penny?"  
  
Ginyu grinned, producing the Life Pen. Recoome's eyes widened slightly. "Ohhhh, that little doo-dad."  
  
"Ain't she a beaut?" He playfully tossed it and caught it with his opposite hand. "Her full name's the Life Pen. Don't ask me how we met. She kind of fell into my lap, know what I mean?"  
  
"Not really, no," he admitted with a shrug. "But if it ain't something I should pry into, then I'll leave her alone."  
  
Ginyu blinked. True to form, he had read between the lines. At the end of the day, the behemoth was probably smarter than him and the other members of the Force combined. "So, hey, Cap," Recoome continued.  "What's with the get-up? Did Penny give you new duds, too?"   
  
The captain sneered. "This 'get-up', as you so eloquently put it, is standard issue armor of the third tribe of the moon of Planet Brench. ...It's where I'm from originally."  
  
"Ohhhhh..." He scanned what he could of Ginyu's outfit, then turned back to his parfait. Ginyu waited for a follow-up question or two, but was just left dumbstruck.   
  
"...That was it?"  
  
The ginger looked up. "Huh?"  
  
"...Nothing. Finish your snack." He had officially given up. Except for a few bursts of intelligence here and there, off the battlefield, Recoome operated by the strict policies of 'Is it shiny?' and 'Can I eat it?', and he just had to accept that some things never change.  
  
"Well..." The behemoth plunked his spoon into the now empty glass with a great clattering. "What now, Cap? You wanna sneak into the amusement park?"  
  
"What I  **want**  is find the rest of our team, boy..." He exhaled sharply through his nose. "Have a look here."  
  
Ginyu spread the map out on the table.  Recoome circled around to the other side of the table so he would be able to look at the map right side up. "So we're here, right?" He poked at the mark representing Bloody Lake. "And you see these Xs all over the map? That's where we can expect to find the others."   
  
The behemoth studied the map intently. "Well, if that's the case, the closest X from where we are is just to the northwest here." A meaty finger plunked down right on top of it, in an area of forest pockets and open country, according to the map. "That region's called the Dead Forest. That's what they call it, but it's mostly expansive plains and a few geysers."  
  
Ginyu raised an eyeridge. "Sounds like you've been there before."  
  
"Only once. That's where they ground you when you  **really**  act up." Recoome averted his gaze. "...It wasn't no picnic, lemme tell ya."  
  
"Hm. Even so..." He began to refold the map. "One of ours is there, somewhere, and we're gonna go get 'im. That's basically how it is, how it's gonna be."   
  
The behemoth appeared apprehensive, but nodded curtly, willing to follow his leader. "Only thing, though," he began. "We're gonna hafta fly over. We'll bump straight into border patrol if we walk to the Dead Forest."  
  
Ginyu jerked in a fit of disbelief. "Border patrol? What the hell does Hell need with a border patrol?"  
  
"Well, o' course, even with all the stuff to do around here, everything eventually gets to be dull when you have to spend an eternity here." He absently dug in his ear. "Sometimes, souls get it in 'em to go wanderin,' and sometimes, they make it out this way. They ain't been out there, so they don't know any better. But mostly, though, it's to keep stuff in the Forest, not for keepin' souls out."  
  
Now  **that**  grabbed Ginyu's attention. "And... what is it they're trying to keep in?"  
  
His brow furrowed. "Something I'd prefer to never see again."  
  


* * *

  
  
The duo made their way northwest. At Recoom's behest, they took to higher ground as fencing came onto the horizon. "Yonder border," he said, pointing. Luckily, the land forked into high road and low road, and they were able to walk at an incline to overlook the border below. Ginyu could breath easier knowing he didn't have to reveal the overwhelming shame of not being able to fly just yet, especially not knowing if his problem was exclusive to him. They could see two guards posted at a booth below, with a guard tower with mounted turret further in the distance.   
  
"Ayup, I think we oughta take off from here, Cap."  Recoome shielded his eyes, calculating their distance from the tower. "We go fast enough, they won't have time enough to steady their shots if we're spotted."  
  
 _Craaaaaaaaaaap._  "Yeah, about that..." Ginyu rubbed the back of his neck. There was no way he could admit to being grounded, so he decide to let his lips do some flying instead. "Here's the thing: I'm thinkin' it would be better for us to, you know, to to ground level and hop the fence. You can jump pretty high, can't you?"  
  
Recoom shook his head. "Trust me on this one, Captain. Flyin' is gonna be our safest bet, and for more reasons than just avoidin' border patrol." He began to power up, keeping his voice low. "And anyway, the fence is a good eight stories high, and I  **know**  I can't jump  **that**  high."   
  
 _Crapcrapcrapcrapcrap--_  "Recoome, you might wanna rethink this--"  
  
"Toh!!" He leapt straight off the ledge, but the only direction he went was straight down.  
  
"Shit!" Ginyu hissed. His hand shot out to catch his hasty subordinate by the lip of his armor and attempted to pull him back to the ledge. Recoome swung his arms back, but being the size he was, managed to give Ginyu a good pop in his jaw. Ginyu buckled, and his foot slipped beyond the ledge. Acting quickly, he drew his sword and thrust it into the ground, creating a sufficient anchor for the two of them.  
  
"Hurrrrrrgh..!" With all of his strength, the Captain swung the behemoth's dangling body and managed a short toss, landing him squarely back on level land, then clambered back to the top, himself. Recoome lay flat on his back, taking a deep breath before bringing himself to sit up. "I... can't fly?"  
  
"No, you  **can't**." Ginyu slammed his sword back into its sheath. "...Just like  **I**  can't."  
  
"Eh?" Recoome stood up and began to dust his backside. "You, too, huh?"  
  
"Me, too..." He growled in annoyance. "Simply put, we need time to get used to having our bodies again, or so I've been told. Like it or not, we're gonna have to hoof it." Captain took a second to scrutinize the behemoth.  "It'll be a lot easier to move undetected without that on." He gestured to his armor.  
  
Recoom shrugged. "All right." He slipped his armor over his head and discarded it without a second thought. "Wow, heh. It feels kinda weird without my armor on, like I'm naked or somethin'," he chuckled, stroking his chin thoughtfully. "And yet somehow, refreshed."    
  
"Well,  **refresh**  yourself back down to the forest floor. We need to get a move on." Nothing in life or death was ever easy, indeed.  
  
Soon back to lower-lying land, they navigated the forest, following the span of the fence. They were able to maintain a safe-enough distance away where they could minimize the risk of being spotted, but were quick to hide behind trees when a jeep approached, regardless. They continued in this darting in this fashion for a number of miles until they came to the end of the fence, neatly wrapping into yet another cliff. Unfortunately, a problem presented itself.  
  
"Craaaaaaaap," came Ginyu's drawn-out whine. They were met with a smooth rock wall, and there wasn't a single foothold to be found. Complicating matters was the fact that said rock was was just as tall as the fence connected to it. He would only be able to jump maybe three-quarters that high on the best of days, to say nothing for Recoome... Just then, an idea formed. He planted a fist into an open palm and grunted affirmatively. "I've got it."  
  
"Yeah, Captain?"  
  
"We can scale the fence, then kick off at the top and grab onto the cliff's edge." He nodded, ever confident in his notion.  
  
"Ehh, I wouldn't recommend touchin' that fence. Have a look." Recoome sauntered to a nearby tree and broke off a branch. As easy a feat as any, especially since the plant had already since become brittle to the slightest of touches. "Dead bit o' tree, right? You might wanna step back for this."  
  
Suspicious, Ginyu moved a few paces from the fence. Satisfied with his captain's distance, the behemoth tossed said stick. Upon contact with the fence, it immediately began to spark, before falling to the ground in a smoldering heap. "Whaaaaaaaaat." The Captain was dumbfounded.   
  
"It only works on dead things. The ogres can come up to it just fine, though. I guess it's magic or somethin'," he shrugged. "When I was put in there with a couple of other souls, one poor sap got too close, and, well..." Recoome scratched his head. "Long story short, we ain't gettin' in this way."  
  
"Damn," Ginyu grumbled, crossing his arms. "Then, we'll just have to figure a way to scale the cliff."  
  
"Maybe we could try blastin' out some footholds?"  
  
The horned one shook his head. "If we couldn't divert energy to our feet for lift-off, I doubt we could channel it into our hands to carve out rock."  
  
Recoome's brow furrowed. "...Our hands..." His peanut gears were turning once again. "...Hey, Cap, would you mind keepin' a lookout for a sec?"  
  
He smirked. "Got an idea, have you?" Nodding in approval, the captain turned his attention to keeping a watchful eye for roving jeeps.  
  
The behemoth, meanwhile, turned his own attention to the cliff wall. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply, centering himself. Concentrating his power, his muscles warmed over with energy, building until it sparked through every joint from his shoulders down to the last knuckles of his fingers. His eyes snapped open. "Recoooooooooome... CHOP!!"  
  
The ginger man's hand shot forth, penetrating the rock deeply with a swift backhand strike. He wriggled his gloved hand out of the lesion, soothing the slight sting out of his palm. "Heh, didn't go in as far as I expected, but whatevs..." Recoome allowed himself a small smile for a job satisfactorily done. Getting right back to business, he braced himself against the intact portions of the wall and stuck a foot into the freshly-created fissure. "Well, it's a snug fit but I think it'll work," he ended on his usual chuckle.   
  
Ginyu spared a moment to look away from the fence, able to tell right away where Recoome was going with his idea. " **Very**  good deal, Recoome," said an impressed Ginyu with a tone to match.   
  
"Aw, thanks, Captain Ginyu," he replied, a little red in the cheeks. "Gimme a coupla minutes to make some more foot holds. Y'oughta be able to climb up after me once I'm done. See you at the top!"  
  
The horned fellow grunted in understanding and turned back to monitoring for patrolmen, the sound of rock crunching under his subordinate's power filling his ears all the while. Despite Recoome's dimwitted tendencies, he had always been good for offering surprisingly astute observations and insights, and in cases like these, doing a little creative problem solving, which is more than he could ever say for the rest of his team. After all the years they had worked together, Ginyu  **still**  couldn't tell if he just chose to play dumb most of the time.    
  
Thanks to Recoome's outside-the-box thinking, hey had both succeeded in scaling the wall with no additional trouble to speak of. The view from the top was nothing short of mind-blowing. Not because it was anything that either of them could call remotely beautiful, mind. No, it was just... such an expansive panorama of desolation that stretched on endlessly. As the behemoth had mentioned before, pockets of twisted, dead or dying trees pockmarked the landscape. The ground itself was a parched, talc-colored land, and well into the distance, columns of red shot up from the very earth, only to disappear after a few seconds.  
  
"Look, the geysers I was tellin' you about earlier," said Recoome, pointing.  
  
Ginyu balked. "Jeez, does EVERYTHING here crap out blood? !"   
  
"No, not everything."  
  
"...It was a rhetorical question..." Sighing, the captain set about walking along the edge of the cliff, looking for a suitable way down. After a bit of scanning, his attention was suitably caught. "Heeeey, we got us a bit of a slope down here. We may just be able to slide right down."  
  
"Oh, yeah?" Recoome joined him at the edge. Stooping, he looked over, spotting the reasonable incline that Ginyu had pointed out. "Well, how about that..." He grinned.   
  
"Shall we?"  
  
"After you, Cap."  
  
With a bit of a running start, Captain Ginyu leapt from the ledge, landing soundly and immediately slid down, Recoome following close behind. One thing for the smooth rock cliff, it sure made for easy 'surfing'.  
Keeping their balance was a bit tricky, but the duo made it down safely and in record time. The ground fast approaching, they kicked of just shy of it to avoid a trip, then hit the ground running, steadily slowing to a trot, then to a complete stop.  
  
"Pretty smooth moves there, Captain," Recoome uttered, patting the rock dust from his leotard.  
  
"You know the drill. Whatever we do, we do with style." He gave the behemoth a thumbs up. "Now, let's see..." Ginyu slipped the map out of his breastplate and opened it in the familiar fashion. "...Ok, so here's the cliff we just jumped... aaaaaand... around here is where we oughta find our man." He whistled. "We are gonna have some serious walking to do..."  
  
"Captain, check out the markings here," Recoome's thick finger arced the immediate area around the X. Mesa-shaped symbols were scattered in that particular portion of the map. "Those are the geyser flats. We're really gonna hafta watch ourselves there. Lucky for us, there are thickets and such in that area, too. If we stick to the trees, we'll be able to get through safely. Probably."  
  
"Oh, goody." Ginyu sighed. He was steadily becoming aware of how often he was doing so since he agreed to this little bet. "Well, at least after all this, no one can say we led boring afterlives. Let's get a move on."   
  
They trekked across the largely barren land for what seemed like tens of hours. Recoome, whose knowledge of this place was far more intimate than Ginyus, was allowed to guide their course, zigzagging from thicket to thicket. They would reach each stand; Recoome would peer out and scan the horizon with a thick tension around his aura; then they would move to the next thicket, the steps repeating. Ginyu hadn't the foggiest idea of what the behemoth was on the lookout for, but he trusted in his subordinate's judgment.  
  
That's when it hit him: he  **trusted**  his subordinate. Ginyu wasn't sure why his mind had chosen this particular moment to remember. A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, there were only three things he could believe in: His belief in the sense of fairness that the ideal warrior should possess, his afternoon snack, and his men.  
  
"Captain."  
  
Ginyu snapped back to attention. He immediately noticed the hushed tone in which Recoome had spoken, and the fact that he  was doing his best to stay hidden whilst peering behind a tree (even moreso than previous times) was incredibly hard to miss. "Look there," he whispered.  
  
Unsure of what to expect, Ginyu crouched, moving to a tree adjacent to Recoome and peering out in similar fashion. The captain drew a breath, his eyes growing wide.  
  
Several hundred, or perhaps a good two thousand, feet away, he could spy what looked like a giant, gnarled tree—one not entirely dissimilar to the ones they had been hiding behind—at first glance. But as Ginyu continued to watch, he could see that it was  **moving**. It appeared to be crouching, if trees could crouch. Then, said tree turned toward their direction, and began to approach. The creature rose, revealing its full form and full height. He could see that it possessed a somewhat humanoid shape. It had a clear head portion, as though someone had uprooted a dead tree, turned it upside down, and set it upon a pair of shoulders. It formed a crown of roots, beard of dried branches, and from what he could see, two vertical slits giving way to blackness—he assumed these were what passed for its eyes. Two arms cascaded from knotted shoulders, spreading out to four root 'fingers,' and two legs fell from a relatively thin trunk, leading to feet not much different from its hands... and holy mother of  space sodas, was it ever  **gigantic**! It was easily more than half the size of the cliff he and Recoome had scaled only hours ago.  
  
"A Soul Ent," said Recoome, glowering. "And on the hunt."  
  
"The hunt?"  
  
"Watch the ground below it."  
  
So he did. He could here the low rumble of the creatures movement, a slow tromping that increased in volume as it approached ever closer. Below it, little souls began spilling over the horizon like a flock of sheep fleeing in terror from a vicious wolf. They hopped and scattered in every direction—some reaching the relative safety of nearby thickets, densely packed enough to keep them from the creature's clutches, some choosing to make a mad dash and put some space between them. Those unfortunate enough to be a little too slow found themselves caught in the tendrils of the beast. As spindling root fingers closed around the poor unfortunate souls, a great maw opened—punctuated by the sound of wood splitting—forming jagged bark 'teeth' and a great black pit. With souls and rocks and dirt all in its grasp, it gobbled them all in a disgusting glut. Sated but by no means full, the beast turned it great head back in the direction of Ginyu and Recoome, who quickly made themselves hidden behind their respective trees. It could see a stray soul making its way toward their thicket, but had apparently decided it not being worth the effort to pick through the trees and made its way back from whence it came. The Ginyus breathed sighs of relief once it disappeared beyond the horizon.  
  
They remain there for several minutes thereafter, waiting for their tension to pass. It had been a very,  **very**  long time since Ginyu had felt fear on a strictly primal level. He didn't know if Recoome had  **ever**  felt it. He cast a glance to the behemoth, and was surprised to find he had sunk to the ground, eyes shut tight and lightly trembling. "Hey, Cap, wanna know somethin'?" He asked, a forced chuckle escaping thereafter.   
  
Ginyu's expression softened. "Sure."  
  
"I had a good while to think about stuff while after I died. Like, years, I think." The behemoth sighed heavily. "I never knew what it was like to be a little guy before then. Helpless, I mean." He wiped away a bead of sweat hanging from his nose. "Not gonna lie, even as just a fluff nugget, I was every bit as bad as I was when I was alive, but every other nugget around was on equal footing with me, whether I liked it or not, y'know?"  He breathed deeply. "It didn't matter that I was one of the strongest fighters in the universe. When you're hoppin' for your very existence to avoid being eaten by a  **tree**... nothing you were—or have been,—is worth a damn. Ever. The first time I saw one of those... things... I think that was when it really hit me."  
  
The Captain's brow furrowed in disapproval. "Recoome," he began. "Tell me why you were so devoted to the Ginyu Force."  
  
He reacted as though the answer should have be obvious. "Same as anyone else in Frieza's army. It was better than dying like an animal, right?"  
  
"That's not what I asked." Ginyu crossed his arms. "True loyalty in Frieza's soldiers was a rare trait. Even that lapdog Zarbon would have escaped if he thought there was any place in the universe outside of Frieza's grasp."  
  
"Frieza led with terror. You led with respect."  
  
The captain closed his eyes, searching for the words. When they reopened, Recoome felt his red eyes bore into him, as though they were looking into his very soul.  "...Then respect the time you served under me, and the role you fulfilled on the team," Ginyu words rolled out, thick with gravel. "Respect the fact that you had nothing to fear from me. Lastly, even in death, respect yourself. ...Everything you were, and I were, and we all were, was, if nothing else, worth at least one damn. No monster tree in Hell nor god in Heaven is going to make me think otherwise."  
  
Recoome stared back at Ginyu, absorbing his words. Breaking the silence with a laugh, he placed a hand on his head. "Ha ha, I guess that's why you're the Captain, huh?"  
  
"If the lowest of monkeys can conquer a dragon, surely you can conquer your own doubts." He smirked.  
  
His smirk quickly dropped into a mildly surprised expression, catching the tail end of a white puff darting behind Recoome's massive frame. "Oh ho? A little eavesdropper?"  
  
The behemoth swung his head in the direction his leader was looking. Sure enough, a stray snack of the Soul Ent managed to make its way to relative safety in the company of the Ginyus. "Hey, come on out, fella. We don't eat souls. Cross muh heart."  
  
Reluctantly, the soul revealed itself. Whether it was just an issue of it being tired (did souls even get tired?),  it seemed  a touch dumpier than the usual variety of fluff, sagging in areas and being less fluffy overall. Was this a result of living on this frontier? "Hey, Captain. Maybe y'oughta introduce it to Penny? Y'know, since it's right here an' all..."  
  
"Good call. Might as well. Hey, Fluffs, mind hanging about for a second?" Ginyu dug into his breastplate, revealing the Life Pen in his fingers. "This won't hurt a bit. Hold still now..."  
  
He shined the pointer on the soul in the familiar fashion, and drew the figure to set things in motion. Just as before, the light broke down as it was want to do, entering the soul. The shape grew a little, but in no way as dramatically as it had for Recoome and Ginyu. Really, it just became lumps upon lumps. Puff gave way to pimples, and before them stood Guldo.  
  
"Ha! Talk about luck!" Ginyu gave Penny a little toss and caught her in his opposite hand before nestling her close to his heart. "Mighty fine to see you, Guldo."  
  
"Heya, pally," Recoome grinned. Even while sitting, he was still inches taller than the toad. "All things considered, you look pretty all right. What's goin' down?"  
  
Guldo looked at Recoome, then at Ginyu, then to his own hands, swathed in white gloves. They moved to his gut, which still hung over everything, moreso with his armor on. He patted his belly, then felt about his face and chins. "Whoa..." He uttered. "How did you do that?"  
  
"That little girl you just saw. She doesn't say much, but ain't she just the greatest?" Ginyu laughed with mirth.   
  
He blinked four times, once for each eye. "I guess you all were hidin' out from the Soul Ent, too, huh?"  
  
"Can't be too careful out here. No joke."  
  
"True enough," the Captain chimed in. "But anycrap, man, did we ever luck out findin' you when we did. Now we only need to get Burter and Jeice over here and the whole team'll be back together."  _And maybe, just maybe, I'll be eating a chocolate parfait-flavored chocolate parfait at the end of all this_. He licked his lips. "Well, I think we've stayed still long enough. According to the map, we need only keep a straight path from here before it transition to a valley beyond the geysers."  
  
"Wait," Guldo interrupted, feeling a bit chilled. "You're heading toward the geyser flats? In the same direction as the Ent we all just avoided being eaten by?"  
  
"'Fraid so, bub," Ginyu responded matter-of-factly. "Simply put, we've got places to go and people to meet, and no piece of wood with an appetite for cotton is gonna stand in our way. Saddle up."  
  
"Right, Cap." Recoome stood up, dusting his backside before joining Ginyu.  
  
"Well, you guys have fun with that! Thanks for giving me my body back and everything!" The toady headed off in the opposite direction.  
  
"Waaaaiiiitaminnit." Ginyu marched back up to Mr. Toad and pulled him back by the lip of his armor. "Where are you going with such a spring in your fat?"  
  
Guldo struggled in the captain's grip. "Well for starters, I think I'm  **not**  going to be eaten by the 'piece of wood' I just narrowly escaped not 10 minutes ago!"   
  
"Hey, watch it there, Guldo," Recoome chided. "You're disobeyin' a direct order from Captain. That's insubordination."  
  
"Insubordinate to  **whom**!?" The toady huffed. "I don't even know who you guys are!"  
  
Ginger and lavender balked. "What do you mean you don't know who we are?" Ginyu shouted. "Why would you even engage us for so long if we're complete strangers to you?"  
  
"Look, bud. All I know is two bruisers who smelled vaguely of beef and looked like they could handle themselves seemed to know exactly who I was. Look at me. Look at my situation. Am I somehow wrong for taking the scraps I've been tossed?"  
  
Ginyu looked back at Recoome. "...We smell?"  
  
Recoome sniffed his clothing. "Well, a little."  
  
"In any case," Guldo growled, thoroughly annoyed. "I have no business with you guys, so if you wouldn't mind putting me down, so long, and thanks for all the flesh."  
  
"Not so fast, Guldo." The captain twirled him around so that they met eye to eye. "Fact of the matter is, we have business with  **you**. Whether you believe it or not, you're one of us."  
  
"Right, because I'm  **such**  a textbook example of better body building..." He rolled all four eyes. "And what do you mean, I'm one of you? Who are you guys?"  
  
"Ha, 'who are we,' he says... Show 'im, Recoome!"  
  
"Right! I'm..." He kicked it off with his classic introductory pose. "RECOOME!!"  
  
"And.." He tossed Guldo to the ground carelessly, pulling his body into the 'low bridge.' "Captaaaaain GINYU!!"  
  
"Together we are... the Ginyu Force!!"  
  
Guldo blinked, then snapped his fingers. "Ah! I think I've heard of you guys! You're a dance troupe, right?"  
  
On the outside, the captain and behemoth's faces faulted, but on the inside they both thought the same thing:  _If only!_  Still, Guldo was no closer to remembering either of them or his place on the team, and that in itself was disheartening. "Listen up, G-man," Ginyu started. "You'd really be a lot better off hanging with us."  
  
"Somehow, I find that hard to believe." Toady crossed his arms.   
  
"Believe it, pal. You go that way, you're just gonna get stopped by border patrol. There ain't nothin' safe in stickin' around here. I'm giving you an opportunity to leave this place. Little guys have nothing to fear so long as they're with us." He looked over his shoulder. "Right, Recoome?"  
  
Recoome blinked, then pulled his face into a smile. "Yeah. That's right." He turned to Guldo. "Anyway, that Ent'll have two beefy souls to take his pick of. He wouldn't want to bother with a snack like you when he can have meals like us."  
"Hey, you got a point there, Red." Guldo nodded thoughtfully. "Ok, I've decided. I'll hang with you guys, though only until we get out of this stink pit."  
  
"Happy to have you aboard," Ginyu slurred, not entirely sure whether he was being sarcastic.


	5. The Trek Your Soul Must Survive

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is my personal favorite. You can scope some fic art for this chapter in the end notes once you're done, if you'd like.

The stink of iron filled their nostrils. The stench of copper stung their noses. The dust in the air irritated their throats. The heat brought the sweat out of them, and plastered rank and grime to their skins.  
  
From the moment they stepped onto the geyser flats, their senses were assaulted. The land, apart from being at first glance an uninviting place, was loud and violent and like nothing Ginyu had ever seen. A stark contrast from the bleached forest floor, the ground here was a deep rust color, no doubt due to all the blood raining down after an eruption. If the sight of blood and steam shooting tens of feet high into the air wasn't unsettling enough, the sound itself would be enough to shake more delicate individuals. With nary a warning, a great roar would emerge from the geysers, deafening if one were to be passing very closely. At moment present, the trio were shielding themselves from a sudden bloody blast, taking cover behind the familiar tiered spire rocks—they practically littered the landscape.  
  
The jet flow passed, and came down as red rain, drenching the land and the party of three. No one there had mentioned it, but the feeling of being covered in blood was almost nostalgic. Fearful of indulging in its taste, Ginyu wiped the blood from his mouth. "It's passed. Let's move on," came his low, rumbling command. Recoome nodded wordlessly, spitting out some red as he clambered after Captain.   
  
Guldo sucked his teeth. "Can't we stop for a minute?" He whined for the umpteenth time since joining them. "I've gotta walk four steps for each one of your strides, you know! It's hard work for me to keep up with you guys!"  
  
Ginyu rolled his eyes. Oh, how he wished they could fly, or at the very least, hover a little. "Hey, don't sweat it, Guldo," Recoome piped up. "Maybe we oughta slow it down a bit, huh, Captain? Even when we were all together, an' fliyin' and stuff, we could only fly as fast as our slowest member. Even Burter moved at everyone else's pace..."  
  
"Wait. When we were flying?" The toady circled his index finger, pointing to all three of them. "We may have halos, but we don't have wings."  
  
"Jeez, you've even forgotten that much?" Ginyu facepalmed. But then, Guldo's power was always that of the mind—his psychokinesis. He hadn't even known how to fly until his arrival into Freeza's forces. "Tell ya what, Guldo," began Recoome, his tone hushed.. "If you keep quiet and don't annoy Cap, you can ride on my shoulder when you get too tired. That cool?"  
  
Guldo nodded in approval. "Not a bad deal. You're all right, Red!"  
  
The behemoth tsked. "If you want a free ride, ya gotta stop that 'Red' stuff. My name is Recoome, it rhymes with 'doom,' and..." He waved his hand. "Never mind."  
  
"Recoome, huh?" He blinked. "Funny, I feel like.. I oughta know you, somehow."  
  
The behemoth smirked. "In due time, buddy."  
  
And not five minutes later, Recoome found himself the toady's perch.  
  
The men moved as quickly as they could amid the intermittent calms. Not having to worry about Guldo falling behind, the two taller members were able to pick up their pace, falling into a military jog. Ginyu led the group, taking long, bounding strides to guide his way. Recoome vaulted behind him with Guldo in tow, rousing up dust each time his foot smacked the dirt.   
  
"Hup-ta!" They narrowly missed getting caught up in a scalding eruption. The three darted for the nearest spire to hind behind, waiting out the jet flow ceased.  
  
"Gah..." Guldo hissed, rubbing what would pass for his temple. "My head hurts."  
  
"What for? You haven't been doing anything." Ginyu growled, unsympathetic. The toady shot him a glare but decided to let it go. "I take it you guys don't feel the change in atmospheric pressure when those things get ready to blow." Guldo winced. "It's  **killing**  my head. Just a Bas-jin thing, I guess."  
  
"A Bas-jin thing, huh?" Ginyu stroked his chin. "Think you might be able to use that to sorta predict when a geyser's gonna blow?"  
  
"If you mean let you know when my head feels like gonna split open, then yeah."  
  
"Gooood deal. I can handle going out in a blaze of glory, but a boil of glory?" Ginyu shook his head. "I'm afraid we won't be going out like that."  
  
Recoome began to chuckle. "That sorta reminds me. Hey, Guldo, remember that time on Planet Parse when we got caught in a tropical storm like, a day after we came on-planet?"  
  
"Oh, man, I had a migraine so bad I puked for hours!" They both laughed at the memory. "Hey, wait..." Guldo became thoughtful. "I do remember...  I couldn't use my powers, my head hurt so bad... and Jeice was hot pissed, 'cause I ralphed on his boots... But..." He brought a hand up to his face. "I don't know any Jeice... Do I?"  
  
Ginyu looked back at him, watching his side eyes roll around, as though searching for the memory in his head. "..Sure ya do, boy!" He chimed in. "Red guy, downy white hair? Roughly around the same height as Vegeta, if you include his hair, ha ha."  
  
"Vegeta... Vegeta...  **Vegeta**..." The toady's pupils shrank as a look of rage spread across his face. It was all coming back to him: that time all those years ago, his pride as a member of the Ginyu force trampled, being humiliated in front of Frieza, and especially the  **look**  that little ape prince gave him before departing with a laugh, looking down on him like he was nothing at all...  
  
His ki flared up. "Damn that ape!! I'll get you yet, Vegeta!" His rage gave way to a tired look, and he braced himself on Recoome. "Just... as soon as I get rid of this headache..."   
  
The captain and behemoth laughed softly. "So, are you with us for real, Guldo?" Ginyu asked.  
  
"Heh, yeah." Guldo scrambled down Recoome's arm. "Captain Ginyu," he saluted, then turned to the behemoth. "Recoome. It's good to see you two again."  
  
The other two nodded in agreement. In the midst of their conversation, not a one of them had noticed that the geyser had ceased its eruption. At least, not until the red rain came down from the sky once more. "Ah, 's rainin'." The behemoth caught a few droplets in his paw.  
  
"So it is." Ginyu wiped his nose. "Guldo, how's that noggin o' yours?"  
  
"Down to a dull buzz for now, Captain," he rubbed the top of his head, grimacing. "I'm fine."  
  
"Good man. Let's move while the moving's good."  
  
They pressed on, artfully dodging bloody jet streams as Guldo's head throbbed ever harder. Hurriedly their feet moved, endlessly their hearts pounded, the kicked-up dust serving as the only tale of their travels. It wasn't until their sight was compromised by a thick, rolling fog that they had to slow their pace.  
  
"Crap," Ginyu growled, slicking the building moisture from his face. "I can't see worth a damn. If we walked over a geyser, we wouldn't know until we were caught in the blast. Worst of all, we're probably standin' in a regular  **mine field**  of them, given all this steam."  
  
"Cap, I think I see a rock pile over yonder." Recoome pointed ahead, squinting. "A big one."  
  
The leader lifted his head. He could make out a hazy silhouette of some sort, dark enough to spot it, but too far away to know what it was for sure. "Ok, let's make a dash for it." He looked over his shoulder. "Guldo, hang on tight to Recoome. If you fall off here, we'll never find you again." Toady nodded, tightening his arms' ring around the behemoth's neck.   
  
The three made haste toward the silhouette, lest a geyser erupted in their path. It was all Ginyu could do to hope they would make it there in relative safety. The group was a scant 300 feet away, where the fog was lifting a bit., when the captain's sharp eyes noticed something rather curious: the 'rock pile' moved.  
  
Were the land not dampened with blood, Ginyu would have come to a screeching halt. Recoome stopped just short of crashing into him. Ginyu gestured violently for him to back away. That rock pile, had, in fact, been a Soul Ent, possibly the same one they had encountered before. With a great sigh—he wasn't sure whether to attribute it to the Ent or to a nearby geyser letting off more steam—the creature clambered to its feet, rising well above the fog. Ginyu turned back to Recoome and Guldo, putting a finger to his lips. They had the fog to cloak them, sure, but Ginyu had no idea of whether the thing relied on sight or smell or whatever, and had no guarantee of being able to sneak by.  
  
The trio watched the Soul Ent nervously as it clambered about. After a few rumbling steps, it did a 'little' turn, hunched over, and... began producing strangely familiar white rocks from what passed for its rear. It took Ginyu a few moments to process what he had seen, exactly. Then, it hit him.   
  
"Aaah!"  
  
The Soul Ent shot up, its head turning in the direction of Ginyu's cry. The captain clamped his hands over his mouth, while his crew looked back at him, their faces a mixture of shock, fear, and a 'what the hell are you doing?' He looked at his subordinates with apologetic eyes. He hadn't meant to cry out, but he had only just realized: Soul Ents, as the name implied, ate souls, but also consumed large amounts of rock and soil in the process, if their previous encounter was any indication. Apart from indigestible rock, simply put, Soul Ent poop was people. The 'rock spires' they had all been hiding behind... were monster tree crap.   
  
Monster tree crap that he had touched with his bare hands.  
  
Hands that were covering his mouth.  
  
"Aaaaah!!" Ginyu was mortified (so to speak) enough to cry out again. This time, the Ent took a step forward, scanning its surroundings for the source of the sound.  
  
"Captain," Guldo whispered, rubbing his head. "We need to get out of here."  
  
"Yeah, no shit."  
  
"No, I mean... my head..."  
  
 _You've gotta be kidding_... Ginyu closed his eyes in frustration. There was no way to tell just how close they were to a geyser in any direction, and no way to know for sure which one would blow. To make matters worse, the fog was on its way to rolling out in that particular area, and they'd be exposed and at the mercy of the Soul Ent. Boiled or eaten raw? Choices...  
  
Ginyu turned back to the other two, gesturing for them to follow him. They had managed success in getting this far, so the captain figured the best course of action to go in the direction from whence they came. The first few hurried steps were met without incident.  
  
Ginyu cried out a third time, though his didn't know whether it was more out of pain or surprise. A blast of heat overcame his face, not unlike a full-force ki blast, but somehow, felt so much worse. The captain fell to his back, covering his face and writhing in pain. He could feel the very earth quake under him as the Ent approached, and he couldn't even so much pull his hands away to tell whether his eyes were opened or closed or melted clean away.  
  
"Captain!" The other two called out simultaneously. Recoome hurriedly pulled Ginyu to his feet, guiding him from the gushing geyser as Guldo clung tightly as ever. He dared not look over his shoulder to see how close the Ent was to them.  
  
Three times it heard a foreign noise, and its curiosity piqued, the Ent held out its great arm and played the fingers of its great hand. One sweeping swing of its arm was all it took to blow the fog away, and the trio nearly with it.  
  
Recoome looked up at the beast in horror as the familiar sound of spitting wood fill his ears. Jagged wooden 'teeth'—all pointing at them, he was sure—appeared as the creature swung its arm back again. He quickly ripped Guldo from his body.  
  
"Nrrgh!" The behemoth tossed both him and Guldo ahead, outside of the the Ent's reach, or so he hoped. Only seconds after did he find himself encompassed by a prison of dirt and spindly root fingers.  
  
The remaining to tumbled a halt. Guldo shook the dirt from his face and eyes. "...Recoome?" He called out. It was only when he saw the divot in the place they had been standing that he realized what happened. "Captain!" Guldo waddled to Ginyu, shaking him to attention. "It has Recoome!"  
  
Ginyu shook his head and slowly began to open his eyes. His vision was hazy, his eyes were tearing. He turned in the direction of the toady's voice. "Guldo, can you use your powers to paralyze that thing?"  
  
Guldo looked at the geyser, still streaming blood skyward. "Not until the pressure stabilizes. I could very well have an aneurysm if I use them now. ...If I have the same problems as you all, I can't even guarantee being able to use them."  
  
"Damn!" Ginyu gritted his teeth. "And I'm SOL with trying to blast the stupid thing..."  
  
"Then, what can we do! ?"  
  
While the two below were figuring out how best to help their comrade, Recoome was trying to figure our how best to help himself. He could feel himself being lifted high in the air. He knew where he was going. He knew what was going to happen. Recoome tried his damnedest to position himself to the monster's closest finger. He only had one shot at this.  
  
It happened. The Ent opened its hand and he felt himself begin to fall, a rain of dirt and rock all around him, all toward the gaping black pit. Recoome shot out his arms, wrapping himself around what passed for the creature's thumb.  
  
"I... I'm not afraid of you!" He tensed his muscles, pulling as far back as he could, until the joint beneath him splintered, and the thumb was sufficiently disjointed. The monster let loose a deep groan, a bellow of pain resonating throughout its body. The Ent swung its injured hand back and forth in an effort to fling Recoome, who was holding on for dear afterlife. If he faltered in his grip, even just a little, it would be game over. Under the circumstances, he wasn't sure of what his survival prospects were in being whipped to the ground by an Oozaru-sized tree thing, and he didn't care to find out.  
  
Just as things began to look their darkest, the geyser sputtered and died, and red rain began to pour down once again. There it was! Their chance! "Guldo, get that brain of yours ready! We're about to throw down!"  
  
Toady had already made pincers of his hands, the pain in his head subsiding. "Can you see, Captain Ginyu?"  
  
He unsheathed his sword. "For what I need to do, I can see plenty."  
  
"Captain, I'm not ashamed to admit I haven't missed this sort of thing!"  
  
Ginyu smirked, donning a pair of invisible sunglasses. "Deal with it."  
    
With that, the captain charged to the wooden menace, weapon at the ready. Decades of combat experience under his belt, he could well anticipate what would happen upon his strike. With a leap and a guttural battle cry, he drove his blade straight into the creature's right foot.  
  
As expected, the Ent lifted its injured foot, roaring in pain and beginning to fall back. Ginyu laughed at the makeshift elevator he made of the beast. "Recoome! Jump!"  
  
Recognizing the chance, Recoome launched himself from the handy platform, so to speak, making the leap of faith to land squarely beside Ginyu.  
  
"Phew! Made it!" He slicked sweat and dirt from his brow. "So what now, Cap?"  
  
Ginyu anchored himself to his sword and extended an arm to the behemoth. "Hang on tight and hope we don't die again?"  
  
Recoome clamped a meaty hand around his leader's forearm. "Sounds like a plan!"  
  
Relying on the strength of Ginyu's grip, the two locked arms as the Soul Ent fell on its back with a mighty crash. The impact shook the two to their cores, but there was no time to recover. The beast was already beginning to pitch and roll back to an upright position. "Drop down!" The captain shouted. Recoome nodded and released his grip on Ginyu's arm, falling like a rock to the ground. Even with the monster three-quarters off the ground, it was still a considerable descent. The landing rattled his knees and ankles something terrible.  
  
One down, one to follow. Still clutching to his sword, Ginyu swung his body up and planted his feet onto that of the beast. He tensed his muscles and attempted to pull his blade free. No such luck. He added a labored grunt, as though the extra manliness would help. No dice. The third time was the charm, it seemed. Ginyu managed to pull out his sword, free falling just in time to feel the rush of wind from the Ent's hand as it attempted to swat him.  
  
"Whoof!" He found himself landing unexpectedly in Recoome's arms. "Heya, Cap. Thanks for droppin' in."  
  
"Har har. My hero." He replied, smirking. It dropped in a hurry. "Start runnin'!"  
  
To his credit, Recoome wasn't the sort that had to be told twice. Not caring a bit for how goofy they both looked, the behemoth ran as fast as his thick legs could carry him, cradling Ginyu in his arms. The Ent's hand came down with a deafening 'THWACK', with such force that the very earth under them lurched and sent the two tumbling forward.   
  
The Soul Ent was not at all pleased with the stabbing Captain Ginyu had given it. It creaked and blared in rage, as though ten and twenty freight trains were all blowing their horns at once. It stomped toward the two—noticeably shifting its weight to its left—and raised its hand again, ready to flatten them into the blood-soaked ground.   
  
But it didn't. More accurately, it couldn't.  
  
The duo rolled to their backs, ready to scramble but discovering they had no need to. The Ent struggled to move, but apart from a few labored twitches, was incapable of physical movement. Simply put, Guldo had managed to come through for them, trapping it in his paralysis field.  
  
"Captain," began the toady. "I got 'im, but I can't hold 'im for long. You guys gotta try to blast it or something! I can feel another eruption coming!"  
  
Ginyu sighed. "Outta the fryin' pan, and into the bloody pot..." He turned to Recoome. "Ok, big guy. Nothin' to lose and everything to win. You up for trying to give this shitty tree a couple o' new face holes?"  
  
"Captain, I'm not ashamed to admit I'm not used to dealing with these do-or-die scenarios," he hunkered down into his power-up stance. "But it's kinda all right with you here, y'know?"  
  
Ginyu 'humphed' a little, smiling. "More than all right, boy." Captain slid into a stance of his own. "At the end of all this, we're gonna be positively golden, and you can quote me on that." He shot Recoome an aggressive little grin. "Livin' or dead, the Ginyu Force is still the Ginyu Force. Don't you ever forget it!"   
  
"...Yeah... Yeah! I won't forget, and neither will this  **thing**!" Fueled by his captain's words, the behemoth began to power up, growling out his heart's fire. Ginyu joined him, lighting his own fire to gather energy. The beast was beginning to make headway in its struggle, slowly tugging out of the paralysis field.  
  
"C.. Captain!" Guldo gritted his teeth.   
  
 _Please_... Ginyu pulled his hands back, orchid energy overflowing.  _Please let this work._  "Milky--"  
  
PA-CHOOOM!! A ki blast hit the Ent's head at its 'temple', burning through and creating an explosive exit wound. The duo powered down in sheer surprise. They watched as the creature's body fell to the ground with a mighty crash, engulfed in the burning heat. The body then quickly disintegrated into a fine ash, as though it had been no more than kindling for a campfire.  
  
"Captain..." Recoome began, staring at Ginyu blankly. "You seem to have shot off prematurely..."   
  
The captain blushed, ashamed. "...I feel embarrassed for myself as a warrior and a man." He shook his head. Wait a second! He hadn't even attacked!  
  
"Well, heh! That's ok, Cap. We've all got our shortcomings." He casually patted his leader on the back. "And anyway, what matters is that we got through it, right?"  
  
He wasn't exactly thrilled with the implications, but the behemoth was right. Whatever luck had decided to shine upon them shined its brightest, and they had survived. They **all**  had. "Yeah... We sure did." He allowed himself a small grin.  
  
Guldo came trotting in their direction, or at least, trotting as much as he could. Recoome raised a hand in greeting. "Yo, Guldo! Good going! You really came through for us."  
  
The little toady hadn't stopped. In fact, he trotted well past them. "If you wanna keep from boilin' alive, now's the time to get outta here!"  
  
Ginyu and Recoome exchanged glances, then quickly followed suit. The geyser that erupted just a little too late to give the trio a jet stream full of boiling-hot unpleasantness proved to be enough of a distraction for Ginyu not to question just where the mystery blast had come from. The question of when everything in Hell would stop trying to kill them twice over was a big enough mystery as it was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Even more art! This time done by yours truly: http://rhandi-mask.deviantart.com/art/DBZ-HAAAAAALP-186237034


	6. The Wild Goose Your Soul Must Chase

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When you're done, supposin' you might check out some fic art in the end?

Ginyu shook out his unfolded map. He looked at the area they had supposedly entered, then looked out to the horizon, then to the map, and the horizon once again. He gave a little whistle. "When they called this place the Grey Frontier, they weren't kidding!"  
  
Indeed. It actually could have been considered majestic, had the entire area not resembled a black and white photograph. Even the very sky was blanketed with off-white clouds. Past the violent geyser flats, the land sloped into a low-lying valley, framed with thin evergreen—well, evergrey trees and a mountain range well into the distance. A sort of calm was awash over the place, as though man had never set foot in it.   
  
"Ha ha, oh wow," Recoome shielded his eyes from a hidden sun. "It's like where I used to go explorin' as a kid. O' course, it was a bit more colorful," he chuckled. "Wonder if there are any critters worth huntin' around here?"  
  
"Why would you need to hunt out here?" Guldo asked, sticking to the behemoth's side.   
  
"Why, that's what nature is for!" He bellowed. "And besides, hunting for sport is manly, much like baking and interpretive dance."  
  
"Ah."  
  
Ginyu rolled his eyes at their conversation. Their banter  **did**  mean one thing, though: the situation was peaceful enough where they could breathe easy in the new land they all had entered, at least for a moment. He sighed to clear his head and scanned the map for the familiar X mark in the region. His vision was back to normal, even if his eyes still had a dull ache about them. Maybe he was just tired. It felt like they had been travelling for days—which they probably had been—and still had many more travelling days ahead, if the map was any indication. The Grey Frontier was a  **huge**  region, the second largest on the map, he noted. The largest was much further south, in the region marked simply as the Gripless, and beyond that, it wasn't even charted. Colorful dragons decorated that particular section of the map. In any case, it would still mean several days of walking if they couldn't make their way skyward.  
  
Ginyu gave a low little grunt when he finally spotted the X. Far to the southern portion of the region, it marked the spot. He noted, curiously, that it was parked beside a river. Even more curiously, a river marked in blue. Honest-to-gods fresh water? In  **his**  Hell? They were about a day's walk from its closest point, he figured.  
  
"Well, gents," the Captain addressed his two. "I have good news and bad news..."  
  
"Bad news first," Guldo groused.   
  
"Nah, tell me somethin' good," Recoome crouched.   
  
"Bad news."  
  
"Good news"  
  
"Bad."  
  
"Good."  
  
Ginyu felt a headache coming on. "Settle it like gentlemen, guys."  
  
The two chowderheads locked eyes, then drew back their fists. "Rock-Paper-Scissors!" Recoome unleashed a mighty rock, but it was no match for the strength of Guldo's paper.  
  
"Ha ha, I actually won!" Guldo puffed out his chest.   
  
Ginyu nodded. "Righto. Well, bad news is, we have at least four days of lower body exercise ahead of us before we even reach the area where our next comrade is. But the good news is we're only about a full day's walk before we hit up a water-type river. No blood! Just H20 and all-natural goodness!" Or so he had come to believe.  
  
"Ooh!" The behemoth clapped. "We can finally wash off all this dried blood offa us! It's hard to get by being so flaky, y'know?"  
  
Ginyu found it difficult not to quip in response. "Well... it... being dirty certainly won't get you any points for style, that's for sure." He gave himself a mental pat, proud of himself for not taking the bait. "In any case, let's pack it up for today. We covered a good lot of ground and even guys like us need a break once in a while." He chuckled, lowering his back half to sit in the ashen grass.  
  
"Pheeeeew... You won't catch me arguing!" Guldo arranged his chunky self in a comfortable patch beside Ginyu. Recoome just sighed, plopping down hard on the other side of Ginyu. "...Wish I had a chocolate parfait." He drew his knees up to his chest.  
  
"Yeah-hea, a stupidly indulgent one, with all kinds of fruit and fudge toppings, and maybe even a little pinwheel in the glass." Guldo let himself fall back in the grass. "That'd be aweeeesome."  
  
"Oh, man, yeah. Maybe it could even be in a waffle cone bowl, with, uh..." A ginger pause. "...an assortment of nuts. Ooh, and rainbow sprinkles... Yeah, I could really get behind a parfait like that." He licked his lips.  
  
"You guys aren't dreamin' big enough," the Captain cut in, falling back to the grass. He held his hands out, gesturing in the sky. "Picture it: a round outdoor table big enough for five, parked in the shade on the most beautiful day you can imagine. There's a chocolate parfait at every seat. Toward the center, there's a ring of all kinds of goodies: cookies, cordials, wafers of all flavors, fudge squares, you name it."  
  
His subordinates shifted to face him, wrapt in his description."And the next inner ring—woah, man—that has the  **really**  fancy stuff there, stuff you can't even get anymore: Tea brewed from Agissa leaves, biscuits imported from Rigel-7, twice-coated nut croquantes from Tritek... I'm talkin' seriously good stuff here!"   
He closed his eyes, practically able to taste it. "And the centerpiece? The granddaddy of all sundaes. Hot fudge cascading down the sides like some kinda glorious waterfall, fruit on the bottom so we can pretend it's good for us, cream whipped to perfection, nuts fresh out of the shell, and a  **huge**  cherry overlooking it all. Hell, it's so big, you might as well call it a Week, since that's how long it'll take us to get through it." He laughed. "Yeah... We wouldn't need anything else with a spread like that. Ha ha..." Ginyu's eyes became distant.   
  
"...'Ey, Cap."  
  
"Yeah, Recoome?"   
  
"I kinda hate it here."  
  
"Yeah. I know. I hate it here, too." The beefy pair sighed, yielding to the silence of the frontier. The trio lie there for a time, weary from the trek and stifled by the melancholy that seemed to encompass the entire area.  
  
"...Hey," Guldo pointed a chubby finger skyward. "That cloud sorta looks like a chocolate parfait."  
  
"Hm?" The other two looked up. Sure enough, a fluffy off-white cloud floated by, in the classic parfait shape. It even had a little patch shaped like a spoon. "Well, I'll be..." The behemoth grinned. "Ha, wonder if it tastes like one?"  
  
"Maybe you could fly up there and find out?" Ginyu joked, nestling his head in the grass.  
  
Recoome's brow furrowed. "...Maybe." He stood up.  
  
The captain raised an eyebrow. Was he serious? Recoome stretched his back and legs, then shook them out a bit. "Come on, chocolate parfait, chocolate parfait..." He murmured encouragement to himself. The behemoth took a deep breath, his eyes locked onto the floating treat. His heart thumped loudly in his chest. He could feel a warmth stirring there, the thought of his beloved ice cream treat and the memories attached to it fueling him inside. His eyes never leaving the target, he pushed the warmth down his body. A tingling sensation came over him, like little crackles of electricity running through his veins, down through the gut, the legs, and finally, to his feet.  
  
Recoome felt his chest swell as his body slowly lifted itself off the ground. The remaining Ginyus sat up in disbelief. Even the behemoth himself blinked in realization. "Whoa, ha ha, I did it." His lopsided grin made a triumphant return. "Come on, guys. You try, too." He said, hovering in front of them before going a little higher. "Think about grabbin' that big parfait in the sky."  
  
The remaining two cast their gazes to the sky. The toady closed his eyes and exhaled softly. The afternoon snack transcended all ills in their world. War, pain, sickness, strife, even a tiff with Vegeta, none of those things mattered when chocolate parfaits were there to make everything better. Memories of being perched on Recoome's shoulder, spying the first glasses of the day in the cafeteria, and sounding the alert so that they as a team were always first in line for dessert. He wanted that back.  
  
And then, he found himself floating beside his behemoth buddy. They gave each other low-fives and turned to Captain Ginyu., deep in his own concentration. The cool, creamy goodness was always a feel-good memory, but even more strongly came the association of laughter. Strong, resounding laughter of his subordinates around him, urging him to join the fun. Stupid-looking guys wearing stupid-looking smiles and laughing stupidly, always surrounding him...  
  
 _"Cap'n Ginyu! It's parfait day!"  
  
"Come on, Captain! We saved you a seat!"  
  
"We got you one with extra fudge, just how you like it."  
  
"And an extra cherry, too!"  
  
"Good men! Who's the coolest?"  
  
"YOU ARE!!"_  
  
The three ascended together to the parfait in the sky.  
  


* * *

  
  
After a much needed rest, the trio continued on their path to the freshwater river indicated on the map. Being able to fly certainly made things much easier. Their pace was steady and their flight path low, not really having the energy just yet to blast off at the speed of light. Compared to the defeaning geyser flats, the silence of the Grey Frontier was downright jarring. Ginyu heaved a sigh, casting a lazy glance to his subordinates, who seemed to be enjoying the casualness of the flight. The Captain wondered during their travels why it was that his red-haired lummox seemed to be the first to regain his lost abilities with relative ease. He didn't feel useless as a leader and a warrior because of this, certainly not.  _...The melancholy here is catching,_ Ginyu mused. Shaking such unstylish thoughts from his head, the Captain lead the way, his mind focused on the route.  
  
To everyone's joy, flying had cut down their travel time by more than half. Ginyu, of course, was the first to  notice the river snaking through the land. It cut the forest like a great liquid highway, fenced by high evergreys on either side. None among them were hit with the metallic odor that plagued the geyser flats. No, the only smell that lingered in the air was that of free-flowing water. The trio descended on the river bank, feet sinking in the soft soil. Their ears were filled with the sound of gently rolling water, in a river about 500 feet across at the narrow little point at which they arrived. It was practically littered with large rocks, and could be hopped across easily. The boys were content to just focus on cleaning up. Recoome and Guldo unceremoniously discarded their garments and ran to the water like large, stupid children, while the captain cautiosly placed his own further up the bank before heading in the join them. With Penny and the map nestled in the folds of his leotard, and sufficiently weighted by his armor and sword, he returned with the confidence an emperor's new clothes afforded him—the time they've spent together as a team on whole allowed them to be naked around each other without too much thought.  
  
"Watch the grapes, Cap! Water's a touch nippy!" Recoome shouted, spotting Ginyu's approach. The horned devil just chuckled and plunked a foot in. He bristled. "Brrrrr! You weren't kidding!" The joy of being clean was worth a temporary chill, though, and he set about splashing water onto his body.   
  
The caked blood washed from them with relative ease, flowing down as an ugly rust-colored stream. Bodies as clean as they were going to get, green and ginger moved on to scrubbing their clothing and wiping down their armor. Ginyu opted to end his session there, preferring to have his garb soiled than risk losing the Life Pen or the map, or even both. He clambered out of the river, shaking himself dry like some unsightly water dog.  
  
"That it, Cap?" Recoome called out while wringing his suit.   
  
"Yeeeeah, I'm gonna go stretch my legs a bit." He stepped into his leotard, adjusting himself without shame. "Why don't you gents see about gettin' a fire goin' or somethin'? Pretend it's a camping trip."  
  
"Ooh! If you find any marshmallows, can you bring them on back?"  
  
He couldn't tell if he was joking, but decided to laugh anyway. "Yeah, I'll keep my eyes peeled." Replacing his armor and doing a final items check, Ginyu set off to explore the world upstream.  
  
Ginyu marched through the woods, keeping his route along the river bank. He had no real aim in his little nature hike, other than giving himself the opportunity to be alone with his thoughts. He would come across flat little rocks on occassion, taking them in his callused fingers to clear the dirt packed on top. Then, a flick of his wrist, would send them skipping across the river until they went under the water with a satisfying 'PLUNK'. The sound evoked ancient memories of a life so far away in time and space that he couldn't even be sure he ever lived it. Memories of warm eyes and wrinkled faces and small hands in larger ones, of granddads and chores and sunrises and rivers...  
  
The captain buried his face in his hands and let out an agonizing moan.  **This**  was Hell. This was Hell at its very best. Reminding people of lives they once lived, of things they once loved, no matter how deeply the memories were buried. The atmosphere uncovered them as easily as washing away dirt from a stone.  
  
He felt his headache returning.  
  
Ginyu picked up his pace a bit, moving more into the forest thick to get away from the sound of the water.  
  
He moved further and further until he could scarcely hear it anymore, and further still until the land began to incline and he was met with rocky outcroppings. Why was it that everyplace in Hell seemed to move up? Shouldn't it have been the other way around? Pressing forward, he scaled the rocks with surefooted steps and soon stood at their apex. The vantage point was marvelous. There was the winding river of regret below, flowing from over the horizon, its source unknown, and the evergrey forest surrounding the entire area.  
  
And then there was Apex Rock—he felt the name appropriate—on which he stood. That extended far east, farther than he could see. He wondered if he followed it for a time, would it lead back to the geyser flats?  Sighing, Ginyu plopped to sit, his legs dangling over the edge. He let his eyes follow the ledge and picked a spot, then unceremoniously punched a bit of rock loose in one blow. He took the resulting chunk in hand, tossing it playfully a few times before giving it a good high toss just above his eye level, letting it hover silently. While he was nowhere near Guldo or even Frieza in terms of psychic ability, he could do some simple object manipulation, a lovely perk that came with body swapping skill.  
  
"Well, good to see I can still do this much..." He said, unimpressed with himself, and let the rock fall to its doom. Heaving a tired sigh, Ginyu leaned back and rested on his elbows. "Well, Ginyu, my boy, what's gonna become of you, eh?" He looked to the sky, a blanket of slate.  
  
"Mind if I have a seat?"  
  
Ginyu sat up in a hurry. A cheery Goku raised a hand in greeting, casually floating from stage left. The Captain shook his head and chuckled. "Not at all. Pull up a rock."  
  
The Saiyan plopped beside Ginyu, rousing up a little dust. "So, what brings you to this neck of the woods?"  
  
Goku shrugged. "Eh, King Kai and South Kai were going at it again, and I finished eating, anyway, so I figured I'd pop in for a bit."  
  
The horned devil blinked. "What, so you just come and go between realms as you please?"  
  
Goku smiled. "Pretty much."  
  
Ginyu threw back his head and laughed. "You must be some kinda somethin', all right!"  
  
"Nah, I'm not that great..." A small blush crept across the Saiyan's face as he rubbed the back of his head bashfully. "You guys seem to be doing all right now. It looked like pretty rough sailing for a while. I mean, if the Kais hadn't sent me to step in when they did, I guess you all would be monster poop right about now, huh?" He chuckled.  
  
"Waaaaaaitaminnit." He flashed back to their go-for-broke stand against the Soul Ent. That mystery blast, the one he scant had time to ponder... "That... That was  **you**  that saved our bacon?"  
  
Goku blanched, having said too much. The cat out of the bag, he just reverted to an embarrassed grin. "Ha ha, yeah, I guess I sort of did? I mean, the bet couldn't go on if you all died again, right?"  
  
The veins above Ginyu's brow twitch in annoyance. He could have at least timed it to not make it look like he shot off early... He sighed internally, looking downward, then returning to face Goku. "...Thanks. Thank you for that." It came out a touch flatter than he'd intended. "Our bodies... We're getting our powers back, slowly but surely. A little too slowly for my tastes, but y'know..." Ginyu shrugged.  
  
"Weeeell, not really, but hey! You've already found two of your friends, right? That's something!"  
  
The captain snorted. "Ha, 'friends'? Now  **that's**  something!" He smirked.   
  
Goku scratched his head. "Well, what are they, then?"  
  
"What they  **are** , pally, are subordinates." He crossed his tree trunk arms. "Stupid, stylish, rowdy, wonderful, horrible, fabulously loyal subordinates."  
  
The Saiyan laughed a little, taking one of Ginyu's loose rocks and rolling it in his hand a little. "Sounds like it's a pretty complicated relationship you all have."  
  
"Hah, a goody-goody like you could never hope to understand the dynamics of guys like us."   
  
"Ohhh, I dunno. I'd say I'm actually pretty well acquainted with them." He threw his rock up and caught it in his hand. "Heck, nearly all of my friends started out as pretty rotten guys. Some, bitter enemies."  
  
"No kidding?" Ginyu leaned forward. "So what happened? You beat 'em up and they switched sides?"  
  
"Ha ha, well, that happened, too, but I guess.." He paused for thought. "When you're forced to work together under a series of circumstances, things like friendship come about on their own..." He spared a thought for the prince of all Saiyans. "Sooner for some than for others."  
  
"Ah, battle-forged friendships, then. I had a couple of pals like that back on my homeworld. Really makes you come to respect your fellow warriors. But of course, the reverse is true, too." He barked out a laugh. "You could always end up earning yourself a bitter rival, too." He shook his head, Sauza in the front of his mind.  
  
"No arguments there. But it's obvious you care about your men. I mean, you wouldn't have bargained for you  **all**  to be reborn if you win if you didn't. At least, that's what I figure." He shrugged. "In the end, though, I think if you do what's right, the results produce themselves. You can make of that what you will."  
  
Ginyu cocked his head quizzically. "...You know, despite making fools of me and my men in the past, I find that you are astoundingly difficult to hate."  
  
The Earth Saiyan grinned. "Yeah, I get that a lot."  
  
"Well, if you don't mind, I should probably be getting back. The boys and I still have a good amount of travelling to do to get where we need to get. Give my regards to the cricket kings."  
  
"Ha, will do. Good luck, Ginyu!"  
  
They jetted their separate ways.  
  


* * *

  
  
It was another two-and-a-half days of travelling before they entered what passed for the southern Grey Frontier region. Certainly a better ETA than four days, but still far too long. They followed the river the entire way, the water cutting through the land in a great winding divide. The area didn't differ too much from the one from which they came, with the exception of the river branching into several forks along the way, further dividing the land. Several rocky outcroppings, increasing in size and number the further south they went, and still, the evergrey forest scaled their heights as well as any other trees and rose up to pierce the sky.  
  
Ginyu scanned the ground below. From what he remembered on the map, there should have been a bend in the river coming up, curiously shaped like an open bracket. Within the open bracket should have been a stand-alone outcrop. ...There.  
  
The purple devil gestured for his men to follow him into a descent to the jutting rock below. One, two, three, they landed. "Ok, this place is as distinct as it gets, so we're gonna use it as home base for our stay in this area," began Ginyu, squaring his hands on his hips. "This place is huge, and there are plenty of places for a little soul to go unnoticed, so we'll split up and comb the area." Ginyu produced the map from his breastplate, unfolding and laying it out on the ground thusly. "Ok, so here we are..." A purple finger planted itself at the mark representing their current location. The X in question  was just slightly to the right below. "Recoome, head  west across the river to this section of forest here." He circled the behemoth's intended search radius with the same finger. "Guldo, you take the east section, and I'll head to this patch northeast of here," he circled his own.  
  
"What should we do if we find a soul, Captain?" asked the toady.  
  
"If you find one, grab it and return to base camp. If by the grace of God you can muster up some energy and throw up a signal flare, do so immediately. This needs to be a thorough job, men, so move in a  standard search pattern. There's no way for us to really tell how much time passes, so just come on back after you've combed your area. If no results are produced, we'll  move the search south. Are we clear on what to do?"  
  
"Yessir!" The subordinates responded in unison.  
  
"All right, then... Move out!"  
  
They all separated to scour their intended areas. Ginyu's northeastern radius had its own set of challenges. Apart from being carpeted with trees, it also rose and rose and rose with its own outcroppings as he made his way toward its center, as he would come to find. This search would not be one that was easy on the legs, that was for certain. He moved in a straight line, red eyes keeping a lookout for anything or anyplace a soul could hide until he came to the limit he designated for himself, then made his return route a few feet from where he started. This pattern continued the entire way, over grass, over rocks, through trees. Several hours had passed and he felt his mind growing weary. Determined, he pressed on, almost at the apex of his radius. The land gradually rose again, this time leading up to a gully overlooking a tributary far below. Just like every other place, it was dotted with trees to its very lip. One particularly unlucky evergrey had since toppled  and landed on the other side of the divide, creating a convenient beam bridge straight ahead.  
  
Ginyu breathed sharply through his nose. He hadn't realized the land sat high enough to touch the clouds, yet here was one, barely discernable from the blanket in the sky. It sat very comfortable on the log bridge, not doing much of anything. Wait. He wasn't aware that clouds could be comfortable, but less be able to sit. Then it hit him: That little puff of cloud was a soul! Ginyu was a healthy distance from it, but he hoped Penny could pull through. Producing the pen from his breastplate, he took aim and shined it in the soul's direction, but to no avail.  
  
"Bah. Out of range..." Undeterred, Ginyu crept forward as quietly as he could, not wishing to startle the thing. Just a little further... a little further and he'd be in range... 100 feet... 50 feet... 25... 15... SNAP!  
  
 _Shit!_  He hissed in his mind. What a extremely poor time to step on a twig! The little soul shot up, and from what he could tell, turned in Ginyu's direction.   
  
"Ah! Don't be afraid, pal." He quickly replaced Penny and held up his hands in front of him. "I'm not here to hurt you." He approached slowly.   
  
The little puff apparently was apparently not comfortable with Ginyu's edging forward and scampered across the tree bridge to the other side of the gulley.  
  
"No! Wait!" The captain dashed to the edge and made a frog's jump across the divide, hitting the ground running just in time to see the puff dart into the trees. Ginyu was not having  **any**  of it. He hadn't just spent God knows however many hours searching the area for a soul only to have the one he uncovered disappear back into the forest. The devil growled deep in his throat as he made hot pursuit. While the little fluffnugget had maneuverability on its side, it stuck out like a sore thumb against the greys of the forest floor and made for easy tracking.   
  
"Yaahh!!" Ginyu leapt to pounced, hot on its fluffy heels. In a trick play, the little soul made a hard left and dashed off, leaving the captain to crash into the grass. Quickly righting himself before he could lose sight of the thing, he stumbled to his feet. "You're not gettin' away!!"   
  
By the sheer force of his will, his energy spiked, and Ginyu found himself rocketing quite literally through the trees. The soul had no choice but to be overwhelmed by the captain's speed and was soon caught in his clutches. "Yeah-hea-hea!!" Ginyu cheered, a little too proud of himself for besting a cotton ball. His celebration had to be cut a touch short, though, as the end of the outcropping was coming and coming up quickly. The captain rolled forward and planted his feet in the ground, skidding to an eventual halt.  
  
"Phewwww!" He wiped the sweat from his brow. The soul squirmed in the hand that grasped it, holding it as though it were a cat by the scruff of its neck. "Gotta say, fluffs, you put up a valiant effort, but there are few that can escape the might of Captain Ginyu, ha ha." He paused to puff out his chest. "Anywho, why not hold still for a bit and let Penny here work her sweet, sweet magic on ya?"  
  
He began to pat himself down with his opposite hand when he noticed a strange occurance. The ground... it seemed to be... shaking? Not an even one like a tremor, but intermittently, as though something was... Ginyu's face faulted. He looked down at the ground where he was standing, then looked over his shoulder. As he thought, the land was sloped on that side of the divide. He turned his gaze to the top of said slope... and was met with the site of felled trees tumbling toward him.  
  
"Oh, shi--"   
  
WHAMM!! The trees he had crashed through had followed him down, and unfortunately found himself meeting one face-to-face, so to speak. The force of the blow sent him and the soul tumbling over the edge for a long fall down to the river below. Ginyu shook his head, determined to remain conscious. Not even a tree to the head would keep him from losing that soul, still locked in his grip. A sudden tree to the back upon his splash landing, though, could easily change the game, though.   
  
The captain tried to right himself; at the very least, an attempt to get out of this with flight had to be made. He hurredly diverted energy to his feet... but no response. "C-Come on!" He growled. His sudden spurt from earlier must have drained him, though, as the purple devil was unable to muster the energy and found himself hurtling to the familiar river below.    
  
"Hang on to your stuffing, pally!"Ginyu crossed his arms in front of his chest—the soul pressed against him—and brought his legs together, holding his breath as they hit water.  
  


* * *

  
  
Recoome huffed and puffed and stomped the dirt. All of his searching, all in vein. There wasn't even an inkling of a soul in the area. He tried not to think about how well a parfait would hit the spot as he trudged his way back to base. Spying the familiar outcropping at the river's open bracket, he flew right on up, discovering that Guldo had already since returned. "Yo," he called out.  
  
The resident toady raised a hand in greeting. "No luck, either, huh?"  
  
"Not even a little," the behemoth squared his hands on his hips and turned toward the direction Ginyu had headed in. "I hope Cap was at least able to find somethin-- HELLO."  
  
Guldo raised a quizzical eyeridge, then cast his four eyes to where Recoome's sights were. They both spied someone clambering out of the river in a great heap, someone with lavender skin and great gleaming horns...  
  
"It's the captain!" They exclaimed in unison. The two rushed down to meet him, moving swiftly despite their tiredness. Ginyu, meanwhile, had managed to drag himself half out of the water. He coughed as much as anyone could come to expect, then took a few seconds to catch his breath, resting on the bank.  
  
"Captain!!"  
  
He lifted his head, then found his own body lifted up and out of the water and onto his feet. "Captain Ginyu!" Recoome shouted. "Are you all right? What happened?"   
  
Beyond annoyed, he shoved a sopping wet something into the behemoth's chest. " **Hold this**. Don't you  **dare**  let it go."  
  
He cocked his head. "The heck?"  
  
"Your goddamned marshmallow." He meant it as a joke but was just so tired and angered by his ordeal that his delivery was off. "Damn, I hope I still have her..." He muttered. Ginyu slipped a hand under his breastplate, and breathed a sigh of relief that Penny was still there, safe and sound. He took her to his ear and shook, pleased to find nothing rattling or sloshing about. In that old familiar fashion, he shined her light on the soul and drew his stick figure. It lingered for a time, and then, a million little points of light shot into the fluff. It swelled and spread, forming arms, forming legs, forming flesh. White yielded to red, and Jeice became whole.  
  
"Ha, well, whaddya know? You found ol' Jeice-boy, Cap! Welcome back, bud!" Recoome chuckled, holding the young man up by his arms. Jeice's eyes looked about, trying to make sense of what had just transpired. "Thanks. So... mind putting me down there,  er... Big guy?" He wiggled his feet hanging above the ground to illustrate his point.  
  
Recoome looked to his leader with large eyes. "Captain?" Ginyu curtly nodded his approval, and the behemoth set the smaller man down. Jeice rubbed his wrists, and it hit him: he actually had wrists to rub! Awestruck, he ran a hand around the back of his neck, then up to discover a downy cascade of hair, rooted to a head possessing a face. Jeice looked down. A broad chest and stocky legs supported by two feet. He wasn't sure entirely what to make of the situation, but it really didn't matter. He had a body! A body!  
  
"What... a...  **rush**!" The Red Magma let out a hearty laugh. "Man, I mean, the adventure today by itself was great, but who'd have thought I'd get my body back, too? Oo-de-lally!"  
  
"Oo-de-lally, my balls!" Ginyu gave Jeice a swift set of knuckles to the head. His hair absorbed most of the blow, but still... "Oi, that hurt!" Jeice growled, rubbing the top of his head. "The hell's your problem, guy?"  
  
"The hell's  **yours**? You can't just stay still when someone's tryin' to talk to you? What was all that nonsense, sendin' me on a ridiculous chase like we're playin' tag?"  
  
"Aww, take it easy, Cap. I was just havin' a laugh. Not much excitement to be had around here, y'know," he put on his most charming smile in hopes of diffusing the situation.  
  
Ginyu blinked. "Cap? You... remember?"  
  
"Well, it's pretty obvious, innit?" Jeice squared his hands on his hips. "I mean, you don't wear a captain's sword if you ain't a captain, yeah? I didn't know outworlders could join the Brench Moon army, though. Ya know a guy or somethin'?"  
  
"Ah." Ginyu looked down at his own body. "You just recognized the gear, then."  
  
"O' course! I think I'd know what the armor of me own tribe looks like, mate," he laughed. "So what's all your stories, then? Don't seem quite right that you guys know my name, but I don't know yours."  
  
The other three exchanged glances. Their standard into would be highly appropriate, but not a one of them felt up to posing, even if they wanted to. "Well, I'm Recoome, and the little fella here is Guldo." Toady nodded politely, smiling as genuinely as a guy like him could.  
  
"And I am Captain Ginyu, leader of the Ginyu Force, the most illustrious so on and so forth and things of that nature." He was really beyond caring. He just wanted to rest. "Say, Jeice. We're actually doing some adventuring ourselves." He casually strolled closer to the young man. "This place is rather dull, isn't it? Why not think about coming along with us?  **You**  seem like a pretty cool guy..." It came out more sarcastic than he would have preferred.  
  
Jeice's eyes lit up. "Hell yeah! Anything to get out of this sound-proof nature reserve! Do I get to beat up things and laugh about it later?"  
  
"Aha..." Ginyu averted his gaze. "See, we're actually trying to cut down on attacking things that don't actually do anything to anyone... Buuuut, how does wailing on giant monsters as they pose threats to our wellbeing sound to you?"  
  
"Sounds like an adventure to me!"  
  
Ginyu smirked.  _Well, that was easy.  Simple solutions for simple people, I suppose_. "Come on, gents. We've earned ourselves a rest. Back to base."  
  
Content with the day's progress, the captain ushered his men back to the outcropping they called HQ. With a deep sigh, Ginyu realized that he need only locate one more to complete his team. He had a feeling, though, that he already knew what lie in store for him in the place known only as the Gripless.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DeadlyChestnut of dA made a fabulous fic art of Ginyu in the Grey Frontier, which, colors aside, is pretty much how I envisioned it. Great minds think alike, I supppose!
> 
> http://deadlychestnut.deviantart.com/art/Asterion-styled-stylish-Ginyu-198595775


	7. The Big Water Your Soul Must Tread

The march to the land called The Gripless began early the next day, or at least, as well as any of them could tell, Hell lacking a sun or a moon or even an information line for them to call for the time. Days of traveling ahead of them, Captain Ginyu advised his men to give themselves a good stretch and join him in a good morning pose facing east, toward an imaginary sunrise (an explanation thereafter did little to jog Jeice's memory).  
  
"So what's the deal, Cap? What's with you all hoppin' around Hell and so forth? Goin' treasure huntin'?"  
  
Ginyu shook out his map, not bothering to turn to Jeice. "We're  **hunting**  for the last member of our merry band. You know him well. Or you will, as soon as you remember." His brow furrowed. "And knock it off with that 'Cap' stuff. You will address me as Captain Ginyu."  
  
"Oop! No disrespect, Cap—er, Captain Ginyu," Jeice held up his hands in a non-threatening gesture. "Then, will ya gimme the straight dope? You  **really**  a Brench moon tribesman?"  
  
"Yeeup."  
  
"So like, what's your story, eh?" He rubbed the back of his neck. "I mean, like, you clearly don't look like you're from Brench or its moon, but yer wearin' an officer's duds! Hell, you even got yourself a captain's sword!"  
  
"As you've mentioned." Ginyu grew more and more irritated. Sighing, he folded his map and tucked it safely in its breastplate home."Let's just say, I outgrew my old Brenchian body several years ago, and upgraded to a few classier models since then."  
  
"Upgraded?" Jeice drew a finger to his bottom lip. "...Are... Are you a robot?"  
  
"Nooooooooo, stupid!" The captain flung up his arms, exasperated. Jeice was never the brightest bulb, but with his memories gone, and his mouth flapping constantly, Ginyu was finding him overwhelmingly difficult to tolerate.  
  
"Captain Ginyu's got a crazy cool trick that let's him swap bodies with anyone with bad-enough luck to get snagged by 'im," Guldo piped up, proud that he could have the opportunity to show what he knew. Jeice gaped.  
  
"No way, you gotta be puttin' me on..." He turned squarely to Ginyu. "Ok, if you're  **really**  a tribesman, prove it! What's the first rule of the third tribe of Brench's moon?"   
  
"A warrior is always fair." Ginyu snorted.  "That's the base of the basics right there. Gonna have to do better than that."  
  
Jeice nodded in approval. "All right, all right, then here's a toughie: What's your duty to do every afternoon?"  
  
"Pfft, gimme a break... It's every tribesman's duty to fortify himself after the trials of the day and prepare for that which comes out at dusk by having the sacred afternoon snack."  
  
"Ye, gods, man, your wording! It's like you memorized the entire 'How to Be a Pretty Swell Tribesman' handbook!"  
  
"Memorized? Ha! I helped proofread the thing!" A blatant lie, but suited to a Ginyu boast.  
  
"Ok, ok, now here's the real test. What's name of your clan?"  
  
Ginyu regarded him thoughtfully. "...Yours first, cousin."  
  
"Wah-hey!" He clapped his hands in excitement. "That's a Brench moon tribesman's way of doing things, all right!" Jeice extended his right hand to Ginyu, his palm turned upward. Ginyu smirked and extended his own, coming down on Jeice's hand with a firm grip. He them made a fist of his left hand and bumped Jeice's shoulder, the red man returning the favor with a fist bump of his own.  
  
"Traditional greeting seals the deal," Jeice nodded, smiling and satisfied.  "My clan is called Alastor."  
  
"And mine is called Asterion."  
  
"Now  **there's**  the name of a member of the third tribe if I've ever heard one!" Jeice laughed heartily.  
  
"Hey, Cap, I'm a little confused," Recoome chimed in, scratching his head. ("No kidding..." Ginyu muttered.) "You guys are from the same tribe, right? So how come you don't sound nothin' alike?"  
  
Ginyu drew a hand to his chin. "Hmm... Clan Alastor.. That's one that emigrated from the Brench homeworld, right?"  
  
The Red Magma pumped his fist in excitement. "Right you are, Captain Ginyu! You know your history, you do!"  
  
"Then, there you are." He waved his hand. "My clan, among others, emigrated to our moon ages ago, but older clans from the homeworld that emigrated much later retained their rather... unique accents..." He paused to clear his throat. "Our tribes are... were very much fluid, really only distinguished by the coat of arms we bore."    
  
"Ah, thanks for clearin' that up, Cap," Recoome nodded in understanding.   
  
"Oi, wait a sec! How come Big Red gets to call you Cap, but I don't?" Jeice huffed.  
  
Ginyu sniffed. "He's earned the right. You'll earn yours back along with your memories."  
  
"And while we're on the subject..." Recoome stuck a meaty finger to Jeice's brow and nudged. "You ain't quite yet earned the right to give me a nickname. My name is Recoome.  **Remember it.** "  
  
"Awright, ease up, ease up..." He pushed the behemoth's hand away. "And what's this about memories an' all? You sayin' I got a touch of the amnesia or somethin'?"  
  
"I guess you could say that." Ginyu crossed his arms. "Recoome and Guldo both needed their memories jogged before they could come back into the fold. Let's hope your own return just as quickly."  
  
"Yeah, really," said the toady in a chuckle. "It won't do for the second-in-command of the Ginyu Force to not even know his position."  
  
"Whaaa?" Jeice pointed to himself. "Me? Second-in-command of the Ginyu Force? Ain't that a kick in the head?" He bore a toothy grin. "So am I like, the vice president of the dance troupe or something?"  
  
  
Ginyu drew his lips into a bloodless line, and the veins on his brow throbbed.   
  
"Er, Captain, why don't we get airborne?" Recoome suggested, wearing a nervous smile. "We ain't gonna find Burter fielding Jeice's questions, right?"  
  
The captain exhaled sharply through his nose. "Yeah, let's... let's go." He gestured to the others to follow him. "Movin' out."  
  
Ginyu, Recoome and Guldo leaped skyward, ascending steadily .  
  
"Woooooooooooooooah! How in the hell didja learn to fly?!"  
  
They all stop in mid-air. Jeice didn't know they could fly. Jeice didn't know  **he**  could fly. Even if he did know, there was no way his body would be able to fly under its own power at that stage of his restoration. Ginyu place a hand over his eyes and sighed deeply. "Recoome, go get 'im."  
  
The behemoth blinked. "What, I gotta carry 'im all the way through?"  
  
"Well, how the hell else is he gonna be able to come along? You feel like walking for days on end again?" He growled.  
  
"...All right." Hiding well his irritation, Recoome descended back to their temporary headquarters, kneeling in front of Jeice and gesturing to his back. "Take that armor off and hop on," he said curtly. "The less you weigh, the easier it'll be for me."   
  
The Red Magma scratched his head but saw no reason not to argue. Shifting his shoulders, he slipped his armor over his head and discarded it carelessly behind him, then scrambled onto Recoome's back, making a ring of his arms around the behemoth's thick neck. "Ha, talk about  your spacious seating."  
  
Recoome snorted. "Be quiet or I'll drop you."  
  
"Oof. Fair enough..." Jeice shrunk. Settling in for a long flight, he tightened his ring as Recoome rejoined the others in the sky.  
  


* * *

  
Their journey to the border of the Grey Frontier was... mind-numbingly long, as it came to eventually dawn on them. Days upon days of flying (and footing it when their energies ran low) had passed, but still no end to the region in sight. Having reached their current shot for the day, they descended, setting up camp in a patch of land littered with boulders.  
  
Ginyu stretched his back and arms, then rotated his shoulders and noisily cracked his neck. Another day's journey was at an end, and he was once again feeling his body's age, whatever it happened to be.   
  
"All right, everybody off." Recoome shifted his back in a gesture for Jeice to remove himself from his person. The red one awoke with a snort, then sleepily slid from the behemoth's back.   
  
"Oi..." Jeice began, rubbing the log from his eye. "Cap'n Ginyu, how much longer 'til we get to where we're goin', eh?"  
  
"My thoughts exactly," said  Guldo in a frump, none too happy about their voyage along the boring trail. "It feels like we've been going for weeks and we're  **still**  no closer to this Gripless place than we were when we started!"  
  
"Well, I question that," began Recoome's retort. "Seein' as we'd have to be, like, traveling in a perfect circle this entire time, y'know? And by the same logic, the Gripless would have to be the radius of said circle. Somehow, I don't think that's the case." It was said so casually and yet, with such earnest that everyone within earshot felt humbled, if only for their comparatively poor understanding of basic geometry.  
  
"In other words, quit yer exaggeratin'." Ginyu sighed, removing his boots and wiggling thick, lavender piggies. "And stop thinkin' so hard, Recoome. Sheesh..."  
  
"Foooooor serious." Jeice lazily dragged his feet to a smaller boulder close to Ginyu, splaying atop it like some sort of ridiculous-looking cat. Even straight out of an extended nap, the amnesic Jeice was still ready to run his mouth. "So, hey, guys. Who's this other buddy of yours that I'm supposed to know so well?"  
  
"That'd be ol' Burter," Recoome sauntered up to a rock of his own. "He's a huge, blue lizard-lookin' guy. Bigger 'an me, even." He raised his hand ye high above his head to illustrate his point. "He's your big, blue buddypal, all right. You guys even had your own routine goin'."  
  
"'ey, don't forget, ol' Burterball is the fastest in the universe, too!" Guldo waddled to a reasonably-sized boulder for his height, but even then, still struggled to reach the top. "Za-whoosh! There and back before you can say 'space soda,' ha!"  
  
"Strange as it sounds..." The Red Magma scratched his head. "I'd be lyin' if I said the ol' gears upstairs weren't turnin'."  
  
"Oh ho?" Now Ginyu was paying attention. "Then surely the super-stylish, crazy cool attack, the Purple Spiral Flash would mean something to you?"  
  
"It... might?"  
  
"Damn right, it might! Picture it!" Ginyu wrapped a callused hand around Jeice's shoulder, painting a picture in the air with his hand. "Your energy's risin', you're swathed in a red aura—a blazin' fire of an aura! Your buddypal, Burter, he's in your sight, chargin' up a blue aura—never was there a truer shade of blue in all the universe! You're in sync, and your powers have peaked! The two of you charge toward one another, and your auras crash and combine, a brilliant purple. No, the most perfect of purples! There ain't a hexcode in existence what could pin that color down!"  
  
Jeice looked up at him, totally enthralled. To have such an intense look in those hunter green eyes... That's it, he was getting through! "But that isn't even the half of it, no," Ginyu continued, confident in his own words. "That perfect purple energy? It starts to  **spiral** , like some kind of beauteous mini-galaxy that runs on style and stardust. Whirlin' and twirlin' and then... SHOOM! Energy discs blazin' out like shooting stars! KA-BLAM! KA-POW! KA-BLOOEY!" The captain threw a fist for every sound effect. "Man, when you two got together, the enemy didn't have a prayer!"  
  
"...I think I'm remembering. but I... It's fuzzy..." Jeice brought his hand to his head once more, really struggling to call forth his memories. Somehow, it was all vaguely familiar, and if he thought his hardest, he could make out a towering silhouette in his mind's eye.  
  
"No good, huh?" Ginyu appeared a bit crestfallen. He was particularly proud of his performance.  
  
"Sorry, Captain," he responded, picking up a bit on his leader's disappointment.  
  
He dismissed the apology with a wave. "Don't worry about it. In due time, Jeice."  _Though, things would be a heck of a lot easier if you could just get your memories back, that's for sure._  He sighed internally. Returning to his boulder and drawing a knee up to his chest, the Captain looked to the horizon. Far, far into the distance, he could make out the faintest of silhouettes lining the plane where the earth met the sky. He sniffed, unimpressed. More small mountains, nothing he hadn't seen before. He squinted, eyes following the river snaking ahead. At its horizon point, he could swear there were peaks framing the river there... Twin peaks... Huge ones... His eyes widened. "Waitaminnit... Wait a minute... Wait. A. Minute."  
  
The other Force members turned to their leader quizzically as he hurriedly pulled out his map and unfolded it, laying it flat on the boulder that was previously his seat. Ginyu trailed a thick finger along the river mark. "AHA!" He poked excitedly. "We're close! We're stupidly close!" He gestured for the others to gather around. "Y'see the twin peaks here?" Captain Ginyu pointed to the mountains depicted on either side of the river. "I saw 'em on the horizon. We can't be more than a day's travel to the frontier border!"  
  
They all cheered at that.  "So then, what the heck are we waitin' for?" Jeice jumped up, raring to go. "Let's get there already!"  
  
"Now hold your space broncos there, Jeice," Ginyu began. "There's no sense in us overdoin' it right now. The frontier border will be there tomorrow. Or later today. Or whatever time it'll be when we start up again." He ended on a shrug.  
  
"Yeah, Captain Ginyu is right," Recoome chimed in. "And anyway, tomorrow is only a day away, right?"  
  
Ginyu let out a groan.  
  
And so, what they agreed was the next day came, and fully rested, the quartet set off once again, an aura of excitement surrounding them. They arrived to the twin peaks framing the Snake River—they named it on the way—in roughly 20 hours. The group touched down at the river's edge, the sound of rolling water filling their ears. Ginyu felt no shame as he grinned ear to ear. Finally, they had reached the end of the Grey Frontier. Just beyond the river, just beyond the peaks, they would find the Gripless, and Burter somewhere within.   
  
"Cap, why are we stoppin'?" Recoome asked, Jeice shifting behind him. "We can fly right in between the peaks and keep goin'."  
  
"We'll get there, hang on," the Captain said, smiling. "Just lemme get oooooone last look at this piece-of-crap forever forest..."  Expanding his chest and breathing deeply, Ginyu made fists of his hands and squared them on his hips. Red eyes rolled over the land that they had spend the last forever and a day traveling through. Peaceful as that melancholy land was, he wouldn't miss it, and the sooner they parted ways, the better.  
  
Taking in a sharp breath, he raised his right hand in a farewell gesture. "Goodbye, shitty trees, shitty rocks, shitty grey everything!" He turned on his heel to face the river. "Snake River, you were pretty all right, actually!" Another sharp heel turn brought him to face his men. "All right, boys, you ready to take the plunge into the Gripless?"  
  
Their rallied cries filled the air. "Good men! Move out!"  
  
The four took off like a shot.  Flying parallel to the river, they could see Snake River turn into Snake Falls—the next logical name according to their conventions—as it dropped off sharply between the peaks. With Ginyu at the forefront, they flew beyond the edge, shocked at the sight before them.   
  
"Wh... What!? Where is it!?"  
  
Nothing.   
  
There was nothing their but the off-white void of the sky.   
  
Confused, Ginyu looked left, then right, then left again, then behind him. Ok, there was Snake Falls... and there were the twin peaks, and the smaller ranges they connected to... and if he set his gaze lower, he could see the rock wall propping the entire landmass up, continuing lower and lower until he could see no further.  
  
"Men..." He began, his brow furrowed. "I think... we're going to need to do a bit of descending for the next leg of the journey."  
  
"Hmm? You sure, Cap?"  Jeice piped. "Wouldn't it make more sense to have a bit of a fly about to make sure it ain't like, across the way or somethin'?"  
  
Ginyu shook his head. "Way I see it, the rock this forest is parked on isn't floating in mid-air, so it's gotta be sitting on top of something. We go down, we're sure to find land. I don't see much use in wasting our energy flying around this overcast mess and risking getting turned around at this point in the game."  
He cast a glance to the water cascading far below, farther than he could see. "Ready for a bit of a free fall?"  
  
"Ha! Ready as we'll ever be, I suppose! Eh, Recoome?" A gloved hand patted the behemoth's shoulder.  
  
He rolled his eyes in response. "Yeah, well... What can we do except... accept?"  
  
"Well, here's to hoping, I suppose!" Guldo chuckled, getting pretty used to this adventure stuff.  
  
With that, they made their rapid descent, following the water rushing below.   
  
They fell for what seemed like hours, hurtling through clouds, the rushing, cool air stinging their skins and screaming in their ears. Ginyu knew he had blacked out for a bit, grateful he hadn't woken up dead again (he wasn't even sure that was possible). Shaking his head, he turned his gaze downward. ...Misting below... Was that... the end of the waterfall? As his mind became more aware, he realized that they were quickly coming up on an entire pool of water—he didn't even know if it could rightly be called a pool, he couldn't even see where it ended—at breakneck, breakspine, breakbody speed. They had to act fast.  
  
"Recoome--" He blinked. The behemoth had blacked out, as had Jeice, whose grip on him had been lost and was tumbling away from the group. Guldo, meanwhile, was responsible for his own tumbling act, but unconscious all the same. Acting quickly, Ginyu summoned up his energy and expanded it around him, acting as a reverse thruster of sorts. His own gravity acted upon, he zoomed to recover the far-off Jeice,  unceremoniously grabbing him by the hair. Likewise, he managed to catch Guldo by a stumpy leg, and the returned to Recoome, stuffing toady in his singlet. The water was coming up so fast... Even with the waterfall acting on it, the surface tension would be enough to flatten them upon impact, he was sure. Desperate, he stuck out his hand, urging his energy to blast forth. "Come on! Come on!!" He shouted. Everything they had gone through, it would all be in vain if they died again here. The Captain wasn't ready to give up just yet, though. If they had to die, they would die together, all five of them. Share victory, share defeat, and he wasn't prepared for defeat just yet.  
  
A final roar, and hot white light shot forth from his hand, the pool below its target. The column of water that sprang up in a back splash overtook the four, but the attack was enough to sufficiently break the soul-killing tension, but not enough to avoid a less-than-jarring impact. Ginyu felt the slam through his entire body, causing him to lose his grip on Jeice in an instant. The current was so powerful, it tossed and turned him the whole way through, enough where he couldn't resurface. He felt panic begin to wash over him. It didn't matter that he, as a dead man, didn't need to breathe; it only mattered that he wanted to. He scarcely knew which way was up anymore. Darkness overcame him as the undertow carried him off to anywhere.  
  


* * *

  
  
Red eyes were met with a beam of sunlight shining down on him, as it did on his patch of pond each morning, every morning. Froggy forelimbs rubbed the sleep out of froggy eyes as the start of a new day began. The nature house was already filled with the good morning croaks of his neighbors, and the rumbling roar-yawn of Dinosaur Jackson two habitats over (he afforded names to all of the animals there) would soon awaken the rest of the animals. He greeted his fellow amphibians in kind, sparing a ribbit to the rather pleasant and burly bullfrog—Recoome, Jr.—across the way, a polite puff of his throat to the colorful tree frog—Jeice the Second—perched on his branch, a croak to the rocket frog, already starting on his daily laps—Burter Mark II—and a curt nod for the rather disagreeable toad, once again lazing atop his favorite rock—Guldo the Sequel.   
  
Giving the froggy equivalent of a sigh, Ginyu stretched his hind legs and gave his tail a bit of a wiggle. It would be breakfast time soon, the mustachioed gentleman always provided well for them. Sometimes, he would be rewarded with extra food if he did a little dance for him. Nothing as wonderful as a chocolate square, mind, but a big, fat cricket always satisfied his body, even if his mind was reeling.   
  
He could have sworn he heard someone calling out. Was it Mr. Mustache announcing breakfast? It seemed a bit different, somehow...  
  
...His head hurt.  
  


* * *

  
"Mm...Mmrrrgh..."  
  
Ginyu could feel the ground vibrate with approaching footsteps. His eyes slowly opened, his vision a blur and his ears feeling sufficiently clogged. He thought he heard voices, but the sounds were garbled, as though he was still underwater. His skin itched. What was he lying on? He felt a familiar grittiness as his hands planted themselves in the ground. Sand. Wet sand. He felt his upper arms being gently gripped, and a small weight on his back, and he was slowly being lifted.  
  
His stomach didn't appreciate the movement, and he lurched forward, water spewing from his mouth and nose. He found himself placed back in the sand rather quickly. The captain gave a series of hoarse coughs, clearing out his lungs, and when they were sufficiently free of liquid, struck his ears with an open palm, clearing the water from his canals. Air rushed in and all the sounds it carried with it. Muuuuch better.   
  
"Captain! You're ok!"  
  
His vision was still a blur, but he didn't need it to know whose voice it was. "H... Hey, Jeice," said Ginyu, his voice strained from coughing. He slicked the remaining water from his face and blinked the rest of out his eyes. He slowly rose to stand, but his knees buckled and he fell forward, only to be caught by tree trunk arms. "Easy there, Cap."  
  
Ginyu shook his head and grinned a little, feeling he should have expected this. He have the behemoth's arm a solid pat. "I'm all right, Recoome. A touch wobbly, but all right."  
  
Not totally convinced, Recoome guided his captain further up the shore to where the others had made camp. Well, if a patch of sand with imprints from where soggy men had been sitting could be considered a camp... Four eyes blinked in their direction and their body stood to greet them. "Captain Ginyu!" Guldo smiled as genuinely as someone like him could. He gave them a bit of space as Recoome eased their leader back down to the sand. Ginyu felt stable enough to sit up, and did so with little trouble. "Well, good to know we all made it." He allowed himself a small chuckle.  
  
"Mm. We all washed up here. Dunno how far we actually are from the waterfall, I'm afraid." Jeice shrugged. "We really lucked out, eh? I mean, what are the odds that we'd all come out of this no worse for wear?" He laughed a fool's laugh.  
  
"Yeah, really..." Guldo chimed in. "Well, I guess we can assume we're in that Gripless place now?"  
  
Ginyu blinked. Reaching a few fingers under his breastplate, he felt around for the map. He paused, only feeling his own sopping wet clothes. Becoming nervous, he pulled the plate away from his body. No map, not even Penny. Ginyu groaned and buried his face into his left palm. The map was gone, and so was the Life Pen. He was so close to finally having the whole gang restored, and now...  
  
"Hey now, don't get upset, Captain. Here." A meaty hand clutched  a damp map and the Life Pen, covered in water spots. "We figured we oughta let 'em dry." He smiled. "Got your sword, too." He held it in his opposite hand.  
  
Ginyu stared back at him blankly, then dropped his shoulders and breathed a sigh of relief. "You guys..." He could help but laugh. The captain plucked the most important items from Recoome's paw first, tucking Penny safely under his breastplate and carefully handling the map, then reclaiming his sword, tying the scabbard securely to his belt. His eyes began to scan the map. He quickly found Snake River, and followed it with gaze until it expanded to form a  **huge**  inland sea (he considered naming it Great Drowning Lake, but abandoned it with a shudder). From there, the land took over, widening to form the great and vast Gripless, colored differently from the other regions. One look at the key made it clear—apart from Great Drowning Frog Lake (he shuddered; that was even worse), the entire region was, in fact, desert.  
  
Ginyu's breath caught in his throat.  _Then, this is where **I**  was..._ He looked around.  _A soul could be here for years and never find this place. That devil of a desert was just... so unbelievably vast..._  He hadn't even known there was an inland sea in this region before now. If he couldn't even locate a body of water as large as this one, what were the odds that he would be able to find Burter's soul? He felt a sinking in his gut.   
  
"Yeah. ...Yeah, we're here, all right." Ginyu let out a heavy sigh. "But..." He threw up a hand in frustration.  "I couldn't even  **begin**  to guess what part of the shore we happened to wash up on..."  
  
"Weeeeell," Recoome began, scratching his head.  "It oughta be pretty easy to figure out, right? I mean, we know there ain't but one waterfall what's makin' this huge lake, and there ain't no wind, neither. So like, we oughta be able to tell just by the direction of the ripples, right?"  
  
"I don't know! Despite my rugged appearance, I'm not very outdoorsy! I'm even  **more**  unsure why this stuff always seems so common-sense to you!" The captain was just so tired from the entire ordeal that he really didn't have the patience to be made to feel like an idiot.  
  
"Hey, don't worry about a thing, Cap. Hmm..." The behemoth strode along the lake shore, scanning the ripples in the water. He walked for several feet, then made his way skyward for a birds-eye view. He made his descent after a minute or two, returning to his teammates. "Captain, I think I got it. Can I borrow the map for a sec?"  
  
Ginyu nodded, passing it onto him. The behemoth strode back to the shoreline, walking in a direction opposite the one he had started with. "So I wanna say..." He took a few more steps, then pointed north toward the inland sea. " **That**  is the direction the waterfall is in. So according to the map..." beady eyes scrutinized the paper. "We oughta head this-a-way, if we wanna head to where Burt was last spotted." He swung his tree trunk arm and thick branch finger, pointing southwest.  
  
"Well, it's certainly better than nothing." The horned devil rose to stand. "Let's move."  
  
"Woah, now, Cap'n Ginyu," Jeice motioned in protest. "Y'sure ya got it in ya to start right back up again? It's better y'go at full-steam, innit?"  
  
Ginyu sighed. He supposed even  **Jeice**  could say something reasonable every once in a while. "...You're right. I guess after all this crap, we're probably all pretty exhausted. But just to be sure we don't screw this up..."  
  
The captain slowly lifted himself to his feet, and when he was confident in his stability, made his way to Recoome. "You say we should head that way?" He pointed southwest. The behemoth gave a slow nod of his heavy head.   
  
Unsheathing his sword, Ginyu planted it in the sand, then laid his scabbard below it, pointed in the direction Recoome had indicated. "My sword's cutting edge faces the direction we'll be traveling in. As added insurance, in case we get a big wind between now and then or this lake turns out to have tides or whatever, so does my scabbard. The Gripless... I'm certain this is where my soul roamed up until all this went down." His brow furrowed. "It's a featureless desert, and if we get turned around before we reach the X, we'll never find Burter. I can promise you that."   
  
The other three grew silent. They were, of course, very used to their leader's decrees, but there was a certain heaviness to his words this time, as though they all were aware of the gravity of this new situation. Exhaling sharply through his nose, Ginyu trudged back to his previous spot, dropping to sit. "Rest up while the day is easy," he said in a partial grumble, falling to lie on his back. "We definitely have our work cut out for us this time around."  
  
Pudgy shoulders drooped and jowly cheeks parted in a sigh. "Nothing's ever easy, is it?" Guldo shook his head.  
  
"Nothing in life or death, m'boy," Ginyu chuckled, not really able to do anything but laugh. Somehow, in that vast desert, they'd find their last teammate. Somehow,  **he'd**  earn all of them new lives, or be cast into non-existence trying.   
  
Slipping into darkness once again, he slept a quiet sleep, dreaming the dreams of a frog.


	8. The Suspect Beast Your Soul Must Trap

They marched through the desert under the umbrella of perpetual twilight, a sky banded with yellows and blues and reds and oranges the only thing of interest to look at in that seemingly endless stretch of sand. Ginyu wiped away the beads of sweat rolling down the bridge of his nose. The Gripless felt like a never-ending summer's night—not quite hot, but warm enough to be uncomfortable. Three pairs of sweaty feet clad in too-tight boots sunk into the sand, while a toadier fourth dangled over Recoome's shoulder, keeping all four eyes open for anything moving across the sands ahead.

Many days passed and many miles passed since they embarked on the journey into the desert, so large and so vast that it may as well have been in its own separate dimension. The captain wasn't joking when he called it a featureless desert. There was nothing notable about the oversized sandpit apart from having dunes which looked completely identical to the crew, though whether that could be considered notable remained up for debate. Their energies low from a day of flight, they continued the rest of their journey on foot.

Jeice gave a long-winded sigh, shaking out his heavy hair and wiping the back of his neck. Unlike Ginyu and Recoome, he had the misfortune of being stuck in a desert in a long-sleeved shirt. He had since removed his shirt and tied around his waist in a sort of loincloth, not entirely dissimilar to that of his leader. While it did make his march a bit more comfortable, he now had the misfortune of looking extremely silly, what with his stark white gloves and boots, his briefs, and nothing else. Guldo, meanwhile, was looking positively at home, even with his full bodysuit (his armor had since been discarded somewhere along the way). Having Recoome as his steed helped, but he figured balmy conditions would suit his toady self a bit better than the rest of them. He secretly wished they were all airborne again, if only to piggyback on Recoome again.

The behemoth seemed to be having the hardest time of them all. He hated heat, always had. His face wore an expression somewhere between thorough exhaustion and just plain not being in the mood for weeks upon weeks of dune hopping. He leaned forward in his walk like an ape, his arms a drooping pendulum. Beads of sweat rolled down and over every jutting portion of his chiseled face and pooling into sunken eyes. His body suit clung to his skin, leaving him with an overall clammy feeling.

"Pheeeeeeeeew..." Recoome knelt down in the sand, breathing heavily. A quizzical Guldo tapped his meaty shoulder. "Hey, Recoome, what's the deal?"

"Just... Just overheating a little," he responded in a half pant. "It's fine. I'm fine."

"Y'don't look fine, mate." Jeice strolled up to him, bending down and moving in just close enough to be socially uncomfortable. "'ey, Cap'n. Think we oughta break fer a bit. Ol' 'coom-boy's not feelin' so hot."

Toady scrambled down from the behemoth's body."Well, actually, he is, and that's the problem."

"Hmm?" Captain Ginyu turned around to the sight of his loyal brute kneeling in the sand, the others flanking him. He planted his sword blade's cutting edge in the direction of their travel just to be safe before joining them. "You ok, Recoome?"

"Well, apart from being the acting pack mule..." he responded in a half-chuckle, half-pant. "I'm all right, though. Really."

Ginyu sniffed, unconvinced. "Take a breather, guys. We've been goin' for a good long while, anyhow." He strode a few feet away, back in the direction of his sword. He pulled his arms up in a long stretch and let them drop to his sides, punctuating his action with a sigh. The captain caught a whiff of himself in the resulting back draft and crinkled his nose. Man funk was among his least favorite smells in the world, and he absently wondered if he'd ever have the opportunity to wash up again.

They were all feeling a touch run-down, he supposed. Physically, they would feel the same no matter where they trekked, but this vapid expanse was definitely taking its toll on their minds, he was sure. If they hadn't entered where they had, he could swear this place had no beginning and no end. Closing his eyes, his body began to move as it willed. Muscles snapped in a rhythm as Ginyu circled about the sands, only caring to 'dance it all out', as it were. Jeice looked up, and recognizing the dance, approached. He came in on the first beat, taking up a spot at Ginyu's side and stepping in time with his leader. It was an important routine for their people, an ancient dance known by all members across all clans. Their faces adopted stony expressions as they moved, fully concentrating on the synchronization of their movements and the energy of their dance.

To anyone else, this would have been a very odd moment, but to those of the Ginyu Force, it was something to be respected. The remaining two watched silently as their leader and teammate danced their perfect dance, sweat rolling down their bodies, salty beads flying across the air with the whipping of arms and legs. Strong bodies, strong hearts, strong wills, they skirted through the sands, and with a final pose, their dance ended. Both Ginyu and Jeice turned their gaze to the sky.

"...There ain't a cloud in the sky, Cap'n."

"Dang, I thought for sure it would work."

"Though what would work, Captain Ginyu?" Guldo asked.

"The Dance of the Capricious Passing Rain," Ginyu responded. "I thought we could call for a quick shower to cool us off, but I guess that's not the way things go down in Deadtown." He crossed his arms, a bit disappointed.

"Aw, thanks anyway, Cap," spoke Recoome, sporting a lopsided smile. "It was nice seein' you do a routine, though. Haven't seen a full one like that in a while."

"Ha, posing is one thing, but a tribe's full dances are serious business. We don't bust those out for just any old thing. Ain't that right, Jeice?"

"Right as rain, Cap'n!" He mentally smacked himself for his poor choice of words. The older male didn't seem to catch it, or perhaps just chose to ignore the comment. "Well, suppose this is a good a place as any to call it a day. "

"...We can go for a few more hours, don't ya think, Cap?" The behemoth asked. "I mean, we don't gotta pack it in just 'cause I got a little winded."

Ginyu snorted in response. "Who said anything about packing it in for you? I just don't particularly feel like walking anymore today." The halfheartedness of his statement made that much difficult for them to believe. The others just laughed inwardly. The captain could be kind when he wanted to be. "Guldo, you oughta be the least tired of us, so you'll take the first watch tonight."

The toady sucked his teeth. Ginyu raised an eye ridge. "Problem?"

He cringed a little. "N-No, sir."

"All right, then. You know the deal. You spot a soul, you wake me, then the others. You start to feel yourself tire, go wake up Jeice."

"Why me?" Grumbled the red one.

Ginyu narrowed his eyes. "...I need sharp eyes and sharp minds to keep a lookout." The red one blinked in surprise, but was quick to puff out his chest and stick his nose in the air. The bull just smirked. "But unfortunately, I'll have to make do with what I have."

The subordinates all gave a quiet little "Oof..." The captain could be unkind, too. "Sleep while you can," he gave his flat command, lowering himself to the sand.

 

He guess he couldn't really complain too much. After all, he had practically and literally rode on the efforts of others when they weren't airborne, and so technically was the most well-rested, or rather, the least fatigued of them all. Still, it didn't him any more enthusiastic about being the first on night watch. Twilight watch. Soul watch. Frumpy toad cheeks sat puffed in tiny toad hands, and thus was the story of Guldo's sincere pout. He sighed, breaking the off-putting silence. Rough and rowdy as they were, the others were surprisingly quiet sleepers. If not for their rising and falling chests, a person would swear they were all dead. Well, dead in the physical sense...

If he had to put it as simply as possible, he was just plain tired. Not even sleepy, just tired. Sure, those other environments had their own varying levels of crappiness, but at least there were things to look at, or to behold in awe, or to be terrified of—In other words, stimulation of the mind. Toady gave his cheeks an awareness pat. A person could lose their mind in such a never-changing setting. Hours had gone by, and his eyelids were heavy out of sheer boredom. If only there could be something—anything—of interest to be seen! Green eyelids fell, then rose, then fell, then rose, then snapped open completely.

Was that a dust cloud shooting across the land in the far distance? Why would there be? He closed his front-facing eyes and focused those on the sides of his head on the moving target, zooming in. The toady couldn't say for sure, but he was fairly certain there was a patch of white cloaked in that sandy trail...

Guldo shot to his feet as quickly as his rotund little body would allow. He ran to Captain Ginyu, pudgy hands shaking him vigorously. "Captain! Captain!"

The leader slowly slipped into consciousness and slowly sat up. "Rrruh… I dreamed I had a sweet afro..."

"Captain Ginyu! A soul! A soul!" He pointed in the distance to the dust trailing across the horizon.

He blinked, then snapped to attention. "Wake the others," was his only command as he leapt past the toad and grabbed his sword, racing in the direction Guldo pointed out.

"Captain! Look for the dust trail!"

"Gotcha!" As he traversed dune over dune, he could definitely make out something moving in the distance. Sure enough, there was the trail the toady mentioned, and swathed in the whipping sands was the faintest bit of white.

"Captain." A voice approached from his left.

"Recoome, glad you could make it."

He smirked a behemoth's smirk. "So, what's the plan?"

"Plan A: We'll cut him off first. Even if he doesn't recognize us, if this is Burter, he'll stop long enough to hear what we have to say. We can take advantage of that fairly reasonable personality of his and tie this up nicely."

"And if that don't work?"

"Of course, I have a Plan B. If Fluffs can't show us a bit of politeness, he won't be stopped for long, but if we can herd him in the direction of the others, we can surround and contain him. Ready for whatever?"

"Ha, you don't gotta ask me, Cap."

"Alright, then. Take flight!"

One short hop and the two jetted in the direction of the dust trail, nothing as impressive as rocketing away in a white blaze, mind, but their speed was impressive, nonetheless. It wasn't long before they were on it, and dropped just a few scant feet in front of the skirting sands. Its cause found itself stopping abruptly, and when the sands settled, a little soul appeared; a fit aura emanating from it (though how a ball of fluff could appear fit is something else entirely).

"Hey, pal. Sorry for dropping in unexpectedly," Ginyu chuckled. "We just want--"

The soul swiftly fluttered between Ginyu's legs and hurried about its business.

Recoome shrugged. "I guess that ain't Burter."

"I'll let Penny be the judge of that! Come on!"

Ginyu led the hot pursuit, Recoome sighing internally and following close behind. They flew low and close to the sands, kicking up trails of their own as they swiftly sailed after the impatient little soul. "Recoome! Bent Pincer pursuit! Right flank!"

"Yessir!"

In mirrored movements, each man veered off in a curve, destined to meet where the fluffball ran. It was a tactic they used in the past, relying on a sense of timing and anticipation of the target's movements. Assuming a soul had anything in the way of peripheral vision, it would see the lead soldier or the other out of the corner of its... whatever... and react in a startle, giving the delay man just enough time to grab it in its confusion. A pincer with its levers bent, never meeting, but still a clever tool.

As predicted, the little soul did react with a start as it noticed Ginyu approaching from the left. It jumped back a little, interrupting its own pace, and then, strangely, made itself lie flat against the sand, just enough to throw off a certain behemoth and send him careening into his captain. Unexpectedly, the pincers met, and the little fluff set about making a swift getaway in the direction it had been traveling.

Recoome shook the sand out of his hair. "I guess he's got a pretty good field of view, huh, Cap?"

"Don't sound so impressed!" Ginyu grumbled, wiping away his subordinate's granular refuse. "And we're not done yet! Come on before it gets away!"

And no sooner did they bring themselves to their feet did a great pit open in the sands, directly in the soul's path. The little cotton ball hadn't enough time to react, and found itself gravity's victim, falling right in. Confused, the bull and behemoth exchanged glances, and then looked around for a cause.

"Captain!!"

They both raised their heads to the far left, and several yards away found their resident psychokinetic master, his hands forming tightly clenched fists, panting heavily and smirking a bit. "We... We made it."

Meanwhile, they could find Jeice trotting up to join them. "Pretty smart, eh? Makin' an instant pitfall trap?" He tossed his hair back a little. "See, Captain? I ain't so dull."

"Don't pat yourself on the back too much. Guldo did all the work," Ginyu sniffed. "Now come on, we've got a soul to check out."

The newly formed trio strode to the pit's edge, just in time to see the little soul clamber up and out and continue on its way. They stared ahead, dumbfounded. "Oh, yeah. Souls can float a little… Eh heh…" Jeice broke their silence in a nervous chuckle. "Well, heh, like you said, Guldo did all the work, right? Aha ha ha ha..."

"I oughta toss you in this pit!" Ginyu slapped the back of his head. The red one cried out more in surprise than in pain and brought a hand to his head, wincing but daring not to complain.

"Wait a sec... Toss! That's it! Captain! Recoome! I got an idea!" He excitedly began to untie his shirt from around his waist. "Pitch me to where the soul's goin'!"

"What?"

"Y'know, like yer tossin' a weight! Just swing me around real good and send me flyin'! I'll pounce on the thing and catch it in me shirt. It'll never know what hit it!"

Ginyu and Recoome exchanged glances once again. It sounded, well… dumb, but they didn't have time to ruminate on it. The largest man smacked his lips. "So, should I just, like, grab you by the ankles or what?"

"That's the plan, big man." Jeice held his shirt firmly in his hands. "Like they say: Share victory, share 'de feet'. Eh? Ehh? …Woah!" He suddenly found his world turned upside-down, Recoome unceremoniously pulling him up and leaving him to dangle like a rubber chicken.

"Might wanna step back a bit, Cap." He planted his feet in the sand as Ginyu gave him plenty of room. With Jeice as the willing hammer, he swung him high above his head then rotated his body in three more turns before releasing him on his flight path; the white boots left in Recoome's hands a parting gift, of sorts.

Meanwhile, the little soul had made great headway. It raced through the sands once more, kicking up a dusty trail. It had never seen anyone else in this wasteland, and those people seemed to have a strange interest in it, but it was in no position to be. Still, not being a soul to leave things to chance, it kept traveling at a fast pace. Whoever those fellows had been, it was grateful to have escaped them.

Or so it thought. The little soul found itself suddenly swathed in black and violently tumbling across the land, and very, very disoriented. What the heck happened?

"Cap'n! Cap'n! I got it!" And suddenly again, a lift, and then, a vice-like grip. Those people from before? It began to struggle. "Whoa there, pally! Keep still, that's me only shirt!" Jeice laughed a little, covered head to toe in sand.

Ginyu and Recoome made their approach, with Guldo—who had since caught up to them—flying along side. "Oh wow, I can't believe that worked…" The behemoth scratched his head. "I thought for sure the impact would have killed you again."

"Pfft, I'm made o' tougher stuff than that, mate. Nice throw, by the way. I'd give you an 'igh-five but me hands are a bit busy." The soul roughing about Jeice's shirt was evidence of that.

"Go ahead and pull the cotton ball out, Jeice. Carefully," commanded Ginyu, producing the Life Pen from his breastplate. "I'm convinced no other soul could run—well, 'run'—like that." He made little air quotes of his fingers. "It's gotta be Burter, but Penny'll tell us for sure. Come on with it."

The red one nodded, bracing his prize against his chest with one arm while pulling out the soul with his free hand. "Come on, then. Easy up… and Bob's yer uncle." With that, out came one very rough-looking cotton ball, as white as the gloved hand that held it. He discarded his shirt for a more secure grip as Ginyu approached.

"Keep it still. This'll only take a second or two…" Shining Penny's light, he drew the figure not used for weeks upon weeks. It lingered, as it had each time before, and they watched with a nervous anticipation. Then, the figure dissipated into a million points of light, shooting into the soul, and that ball of fluff grew and grew… and grew… Jeice felt a strange grip on his right wrist, and before he had a chance to step away, he found himself lifted up with the fluff. It loomed and towered, stretching to accommodate an expansive chest; hardening into scales, claws, fangs… Softness gave way to sinewy muscle, and Burter was whole.

Jeice looked up at this newly formed creature in a bit of awe. Somewhere, something in the back of his mind was pushing its way to the front. As dangerous red eyes bore into his hunter green compliments, he began to remember… Missions, poses, ambitions, snacks, and friendship most of all… He remembered everything. "Burter…" He smiled a smile meant for a person not seen in ages.

The blue beast eyes narrowed, looking at the man dangling in his grip. "…Why are you nearly naked?"

The red man just sighed. "Roofied again."

Burter dropped him like he was hot and began to walk away. "Oy, I was only jokin'!" Jeice trotted back up to him. "Wait just a minute, Burt! Where ya headed?"

"Sorry, but I don't do much in the way of talking to strangers, and nearly naked ones at that. That's just weird." He side-stepped Jeice and walked right past. He then paused, and turned back to the red man. "And anyway, when I look at your face, I feel like I should be very, very angry with you for some reason."

Jeice blinked. "Angry..?" He paused for thought.

"Yo, Burter. Good to see you, man." Recoome approached, smiling, with Guldo keeping pace beside. "We've been lookin' for you, y'know."

The beast turned his attention to the behemoth, casting a glance to the diminutive toady, then back to him. "As a matter of fact, I wouldn't know," he growled. "And for that matter, I'm wondering why there are so many weird guys showing up that seem to know my name…"

"Aren't you even going to question why you suddenly have a body?" Next came Ginyu, crossing his arms and giving the saurian a mighty scowl. "We went through an awful lot to find you, Burter, and regardless of whether you remember us or not, I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't be so quick to walk away."

Burter swung his head to the well-dressed captain. "…You're the weird guy that tried talking to me…" He looked away. "And restored my body, too, apparently." His gaze shifted back to Ginyu. "…Thank you, sir."

"Well, that's more like it." The captain smirked. "I don't suppose you remember ol' Captain Ginyu at all?" He placed his hand on his chest in self-reference.

The beast just shook his head. "I'm afraid not, but… I feel like I ought to.

Ginyu sighed. He knew to expect this by now, but he still wanted to hope. "Well, I suppose an explanation is in order. I'm gonna need a moment of your time if you want to be able to make some sense out of all this."

The saurian narrowed his eyes. "…Fine." He crossed his tree trunk arms. "I guess I can do that much, as you did restore my body. And while I don't care to admit it," he lick the front of his fangs, a sign of minor annoyance. "I get the feeling you might be an ok weird guy," He sniffed the air. "…despite the man funk odor."

A faint blue blush adorned the captain's cheeks, grumbling something unintelligible under his breath. Jeice, being Jeice, just guffawed. "In any case, it's mighty fine havin' ya here, Burter. And mighty fine havin' me memories back, for that matter." He gave the saurian's back a friendly slap and ended on a chuckle.

That much earned the second-in-command a sneer. "Don't act so familiar with me, especially when it pisses me off just to look at you," he growled, showing plenty of teeth. "And for God's sake, put some clothes on. Sheesh…" He moved away from the smaller man, joining Ginyu for that much needed explanation.

The others looked on, left to wonder what the hell he could be so angry about.

"Oh, Jeice. Before I forget…" Recoome bent to meet the smaller man. "Your boots. Maybe Burter will be less growly toward you once you're decent."

The red man looked to the behemoth, then sighed and reclaimed his boots. Somehow, he didn't think it would help.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who knew that even throwaway lines were deserving of fic art? DeadlyChestnut, apparently. http://deadlychestnut.deviantart.com/art/Sweet-Sweet-Afro-204909138


	9. The Tumultuous Trio and Your Soul

Ginyu had to give himself a little mental pat on the back. He made good on his boast, and found his four subordinates. While one may have been missing his memories, none of them had really done anything that could be construed as evil. Well, apart from themselves, there was really nothing else around they could harm, even if they wanted to. The lavender devil puffed out his chest. This had to be the easiest bet he was ever assured to win, relatively speaking.  
  
But then, another thought struck him: how was he supposed to prove that his boys were good people, or at least half-decent ones? He surmised it wouldn't be enough to just have them hang out in an endless desert where they wouldn't even have the opportunity to make a choice in their behavior. Perhaps he would have to consult the cricket king in a moment of privacy.  
  
He would concern himself with those thoughts later. At the moment, he owed one increasingly impatient Burter an explanation of events leading up to now. Ginyu gestured to the others to join him. The other three took their places at Ginyu's side, Jeice sitting a bit farther back, lest he earn himself a death glare from the lizardy one. "So here's the deal," he began. "You and me, and these guys over here, we were all space pirates."  
  
"Space pirates?" The blue one parroted.  
  
"Space pirates. We were the baddest guys in the universe, second only to Frieza, who we served faithfully. Surely you remember him?"  
  
"In name, certainly."  
  
"Well, that's good. Basically, we were space pirates, and then we died."  
  
Burter raised an eye ridge. "......That's it?"  
  
"Well, that's the condensed version, but yeah." He shrugged.  
  
"Okaaaay... If that's the case, then why don't I remember any of this?"  
  
"Funny story," Ginyu rubbed the back of his head. "Apparently your soul gets cleansed when you get sent to Hell and sometimes partial amnesia is a side effect. Go figure. But moving on, I was given the opportunity to get back together with you guys, and not really having anything else to do, I chose to take it."  
  
Burter just sighed. "You know, even if this wasn't grossly oversimplified, I would still find all this really hard to believe." He shook his head. "And even  **if** I was a space pirate under Frieza at some point, it still doesn't explain  **why**  you chose only now to reunite with your team."  
  
"Hey, he kinda has a point, Cap," said Recoome flatly.  
  
"Feh, hardly." The captain waived dismissively. "Keep in mind I only recently died, guys."  
  
"Only recently?" Jeice piped up. "What happened to ya, then? Weren't ya killed by Vegeta in the end?"  
  
"C-Certainly not! I..." Ginyu crossed his arms and turned away. "...I'd rather not talk about it." How could he tell them the awful green truth? And even if he could, how could he admit the circumstances of his death? "B-But anyway, that's neither here nor there," he stylishly changed the subject. "What matters now is that all five of us are finally together again. And you know what that means, don't you?" He looked over his shoulder, casting the others a knowing smile.  
  
Their eyes lit up, while Burter just looked at them in confusion. Ginyu, Recoome, Jeice, and Guldo hopped to their feet, brushing the sand from their legs and backsides. "Hah, once you get a gander at this, Burt, you'll be sure to remember!"   
  
"Ooh, are you gonna do another one of those goofy poses?"  
  
"Why yes, it's-- Hey!" Ginyu blustered, a blue blush spreading across his face. "Our Ultra Fighting Poses shows off our magnificence! Who are you to call them goofy!?"  
  
Burter held his hands up, as if to say, 'I didn't say anything!'  
  
"Heh, sorry, Ginyu," Goku rubbed the back of his head, floating down from above to meet the crew. "I sorta forgot that they meant a lot to you."  
  
Ginyu crossed his arms in a frump. "Well, I'll forgive you, if only to show I'm the bigger man."  
  
"But you  **are**  the bigger man, Cap," Recoome pointed out, and Jeice nodded in agreement.  "Yeah, Cap'n, you're way taller than this gAAAAAAAH!!"  
  
The bruiser and second-in-command both shouted in unison. "C-C-C-Captain!! It-It-It-It-It's the Saiyan what killed Recoome and Burter!" Jeice pointed an incredulous finger at Goku, who just wore his usual grin.   
  
"Ah, you remember me!" Goku interrupted, chuckling all the while. "Yeah, sorry about before, but you guys didn't leave me much choice, you understand."  
  
Ginyu shrugged. "Well, not like it makes a difference now. So what's up, Goku? You just on another friendly visit?"  
  
"A friendly visit?" Now it was Recoome's turn to be incredulous. "Captain Ginyu, what's the deal? Why are you being so... so...  **friendly**  with that Saiyan? It's like Jeice said, he humiliated us! And he  **killed**  me! Why are you just shootin' the breeze like he's a pal of yours or something?!"  
  
"Wait..." Goku cocked his head quizzically. "I didn't--"  
  
"I don't need to justify anything I do to  **you**!" Ginyu spat, cutting off the Saiyan. "And you want to talk about humiliation? You all put too much faith in your scouters and didn't have the sense to adjust to a new situation, and got yourselves killed as a result. The way I see it, you fools humiliated yourselves right up to the very end!"  
  
Both Jeice and Recoome winced at that, and even Guldo shrunk a little from Ginyu's heat. The only member of the Force not currently cowering inwardly was Burter, whose eyes were fixated on the Saiyan. He studied his visage, from his spiky hair to his orange gi. He studied and studied, his breath growing deeper and more ragged, his hands slowly clenching into fists.  
  
Ginyu, feeling the boys had been sufficiently put in their place, snorted a little and turned back to Goku. "Anyway, what brings you to our neck of the woods, bub?"  
  
"Oh, well, King Kai wanted me to warn you guys. Well, actually, he could have done it telepathically, but he was awful sore about me eating the last of the dim sum, so I got sent out on an errand," he chuckled. "But more importantly, you're actually pretty close to the Monster Plateau. He said that was the uncharted part of your map. That's where the  **really**  nasty creatures hang out, so you probably shouldn't head out that way."  
  
The captain cocked his head. "Wait, it has a name, and people know what's in it, but it's somehow uncharted?"  
  
The Saiyan shrugged. "I guess you have an out-of-date map?"  
  
Ginyu threw up his hands and sighed.   
  
"Captain Ginyu, what's going on?"  Guldo piped up, as confused as could be. "Just who is this guy?"  
  
"Eh, you were already dead by that time," Recoome began. "but this guy, he came along when I had the fight with the two shorties and Vegeta in the bag. Knocked the mess out of me with one hit." He paused to whistle. "Never felt pain like that before..." He scratched the back of his head. "It still kinda pisses me off, but I guess I'm sorta impressed someone could hurt me, too."  
  
"I'll tell you.. I'll tell you exactly who he is..!"   
  
Burter marched past all of them and grabbed Goku by his gi. " **You...** " His massive fists began to quiver in rage. "Bet you thought it was pretty funny, making me look like a joke, felling me with a single kick, didn't you? Bet you took that laugh all the way to the bank, didn't you?"  
  
Goku only looked back at him in silence, a stern look marring his usually cheerful face. Ginyu blinked. "Burter, you remember? You got your memory back?"  
  
"Like I could forget that day!" He barked over his shoulder. Turning back to Goku, he brought a massive paw to hover around the Saiyan's neck. "Maybe I'll have a laugh, too. Break your neck so you can die twice. What do you think?" Black claws ever so slightly raked his skin.  
  
Goku narrowed his eyes. "I really think you should reconsider, considering how easily I defeated you back then."  
  
The saurian snarled and raised a fist to him, only to find it being pulled back. "That's enough, Burter," said Recoome flatly, glowering at his teammate.   
  
His looked back at the behemoth with burning red eyes. "Let go of me, Recoome..." He said in a low growl, but the smaller man refused to yield, letting his stony gaze do the talking.  
  
"Come on, Burt," Jeice approached him. "You don't gotta do all that. Sure, yer hoppin' mad, and I'd be lyin' if I wasn't a bit put off, m'self, but fat lotta good it'll do us now, right? Just..." He sighed. "Just let it go, mate."  
  
"...Just let it go?" Burter pulled himself out of Recoome's grip. "Oh, then while we're on the subject of just letting things go..." He skulked toward Jeice. "The fact that you left me for dead, should I just let that go, too?"  
  
Jeice's eyes grew wide as saucers. "B-Burter... I thought you were--"  
  
" **I wasn't.** " He growled. "Why didn't you just check the scouter, Jeice?" He came ever closer to the young man. "You were so damned good about using it when we were fighting that lousy monkey. Or maybe you did. You always did have a yellow streak under all that red..." Burter bent forward so that they were eye to eye. Perhaps he was only realizing it for the first time, but the Blue Hurricane was  **huge**... and a little scary...  
  
Ginyu blinked. He knew at the time that Jeice had abandoned the battlefield, and had scolded him thusly, but to do so without actually confirming that his teammates had actually been killed... "Is this true, Jeice?"   
  
Jeice hung his head and inhaled sharply through his nose. "...I... I'm sorry..."  
  
He suddenly found himself being knocked to the ground. "I died like a punk!!" Burter roared, his teeth fully bared. "A cheap shot by one Saiyan wasn't enough, so you had to leave me to suffer  **two**?!" The saurian's body tensed. The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. "Recoome may not have been able to see it, but I did! I saw it, and you! Leaving me to be killed by Vegeta, of all people!?" He turned his head upward, clenching his fists along with his teeth and growling deep in his throat. Then, in a chilling pause, he locked eyes with Jeice. "There isn't a word in the standard language that can express how sorry you ought to be..." The beast drew back a fist. "Or how sorry you're gonna be..."  
  
Burter's fist shot forth. Jeice winced, closing his eyes and bracing for the assault. Seconds went by, but no familiar smashing of his face came. He opened his eyes a little, and was shocked to find Recoome holding back Burter's wild fist once again.  
  
" **No.** " The behemoth's voice rang out clear. The saurian turned to him, casting down a gaze that teetered between bewilderment and simmering rage.   
  
"Let go of me, Recoome..." The words came out as a slow rumble.  
  
The ginger fellow just shook his head. "Cap said we're not gonna do that stuff anymore. Bad stuff."  
  
Burter just snorted. "There's nothing bad about beating up someone who deserves it. And he abandoned you, too, Recoome..."  
  
"...I accept that," he spoke softly, as if suddenly downcast. "But there ain't no way infighting is good for any of us. Maybe that was ok when we worked for Frieza or whatever, but Cap said we don't gotta do that stuff no more, so we're not gonna."  
  
"I don't believe this..." The beast narrowed his eyes. "You're really just gonna let him get away with leaving us for dead, just because Captain Ginyu says doing 'bad' isn't good?"  
  
"Isn't that enough?"  
  
Burter just had to laugh. "You know, the amount of loyalty you show, that you've always shown since I've known you, makes me wonder why you weren't picked as second-in-command. Don't act like you haven't wondered it, yourself."  
  
The behemoth's eyes widened a little, quickly darting away from Burter's gaze, but slowly rolling to meet it once again. "...Don't be dumb. You know Jeice is the strongest under the captain. Of course he'd be second-in-command."  
  
That little aversion didn't go unnoticed by the beast at all. "Oh, did I touch a nerve?" He wrestled his arm from Recoome's grip once again. The blue beast squared his hands on his hips, shooting the behemoth a haughty look.   
  
"...I'm not sure this is a game you want to play with me, Burter." Something had changed in his tone, something familiar that the saurian didn't like in the slightest. Still, he was unwilling to cancel the game he had just started playing.  
  
"You've always been the technique freak of the band. Always working non-stop to perfect your poses, always trying to take the stylemeter all the way to 11, the first in line for roll call and the last to leave the training quarters. And for what? So our ruddy coward could be chosen as the No. 2? Admit it, it burns you up inside..."  
  
"I may not agree entirely with Cap's decision, I'll admit, but I respect it, and that's all I got to say on the matter. But what about you?" Recoome crossed his arms. "Always going on about how you were 'the fastest in the universe'? I guess if you ignore Frieza, and technically Guldo when he stops time, then sure, I guess I could see that."  
  
Burter narrowed his eyes. "That's not fair, Recoome."  
  
"What's not fair? The fact that your speed is the only thing that keeps you from being decidedly average?" He laughed. "Sure, I can take a punch or ten and keep getting up, but I never claimed to be invincible. It sucks that I had to be killed without dignity, yeah, but I never played myself up to be more than I was. But you, you can't even pass yourself off as another bruiser. When it comes down to it, you're just Really Really Big Guy #2 on this team."  
  
He could see that Burter was seething with rage. Recoome felt it would probably be a good time to turn this conversation around, but as he opened his mouth... "Oh, is that what I am?" Burter egged him on.  
  
The behemoth sighed inwardly. Some people never change... "You tell me," he continued. "And I guess while we're talking about that, don't it just burn you up that you're only slightly weaker than our 'ruddy coward', juuust edging you out of the No. 2 spot? But then, with that quick and powerful temper of yours, what dummy would think you're leadership material anyway? My main issue was just being too weak to be respected in that world we worked in, but for you... When the difference in power levels between you and Jeice was so slight, it really makes you wonder, don't it? Well, it don't make me wonder, but..."  
  
The behemoth suddenly found himself dodging a hurricane of a punch. "That's enough out of you!!" Burter barked.   
  
This was the worst Recoome had ever seen in the saurian. The behemoth expected the shouting, sure, but for him to actually attempt to assault a teammate.. After the initial shock passed, Recoome just shook his head and sighed. "See,  **this**  is why I told you not to play this game with me. You may outrank me in terms of power level, but I'll always outrank you in age. ...You've still got some growing up to do, and it shows."  
  
The beast swung at him again. Forget being shocked, now he was becoming irritated. "Captain Ginyu," Recoome called out. "It ain't bad to knock Burter on his ass if I'm just defending myself, right?"  
  
"Handle it the way you feel is best," came his leader's response.  
  
The behemoth nodded. "Then," he turned back to Burter. "you got one more time to come at me, bro..."  
  
"I don't need to hear idle threats from a weakling like you! And I don't need this either!" He pulled his armor over his head and tossed it to the ground carelessly.  "Who needs armor against someone like you, as if you could do anything to me with that puny power level of yours!" Burter, lost to his rage, began to charge the smaller man, a massive fist cocked back.  
  
"I got news for you..." He pushed the fist away and countered with one of his own, sinking it square into Burter's gut. The wind knocked out of him, the saurian stood there, doubled over for a moment.  _Why? Why did that hurt?_  
  
As if able to hear his thoughts, the behemoth responded, "It don't work that way, when you've been dead for so long." Then, with a pimp's grace, he unleashed on Burter's face a heavy forward slap, sending the beast un-stylishly to the ground.  
  
"Uh, hey, Ginyu..." Goku whispered to him. "Shouldn't you put a stop to this before it escalates any further?"  
  
"I know these guys better than you. I'll step in when it's time for me to step in," With his stony leader face on, no one would question him. In his mind, though, he knew this wasn't right. Burter always did have a bit of a temper, but even on his worst days, he could be reasoned with and not even go further than a convincing growl. What had happened in those years between his death and this moment? It was as if he had lost his grip on his very sanity. Just then, Ginyu had an epiphany. Lost his grip... The Gripless... That was it. Spending years here, in this stretch of never-ending, never-changing sand, never coming across anyone, a man could lose his mind easily. A chill ran through Ginyu's body when he realized, if not for a chance bet among gods, he could have become the same, and he was never very sane to begin with.   
  
It was clear what he had to do. He had to get Burter and the others out of this place.  
  
"Are you done, Burter?" Recoome stood over him. The saurian brought himself to his knees, but remained silent and refused to raise his head. Sighing, the ginger fellow figured Burter's pride had been wounded enough., and extended his hand to help him up.   
  
"What do you think?!" Moving so quickly that he could barely register it, Burter took his hand and pulled him forward, springing to his feet. Then, in a wicked move, sunk his fangs into the flesh where Recoome's collarbone met his shoulder. The behemoth cried out in pain, completely unprepared for such dirty tactics.  
  
"Th... That ain't fair, Burter!"  
  
"What's not fair?" He growled, his words containing a bitter echo.   
  
That was it. Recoome officially stopped caring about showing Burter any patience. He could understand why he would show such anger toward Jeice—they were best friends, so unsurprisingly, being left for dead by said friend would sting quite a bit—but to pull that sort of cheap stunt on him was too much.  For all their faults, they were taught by Ginyu that true warriors were always fair. To act unfairly was to act against their leader, and that wasn't something he could overlook. "Now I'm pissed..."  
  
With no regard for his own well-being, Recoome's meaty hand shot forth, stuffing itself in Burter's maw. A flash of panic in his eyes,  the beast responded with a crushing grip on the offending wrist while his other hand dug into the behemoth's wounded shoulder, blood oozing through his shirt from the punctures. Recoome's other hand responded by gripping the Blue Hurricane's own shoulder. They struggled for a time like this, neither side letting up. The tide turned when Recoome's suddenly snapped his hand, dislocating Burter's jaw with a sickening pop. The blue beast, roaring in pain, released him from his clutches immediately and brought his hands to his face, leaving himself wide open.   
  
Laughing inwardly, Recoome rushed forward to perform his signature Recoome Kick.  
  
"That's enough, Recoome!"   
  
The behemoth stopped just short of slamming a knee into his fellow fighter. He turned to Ginyu, his face  awash with confusion. "B-But..."  
  
The glare that Ginyu gave him was enough to effectively silence him. The behemoth quickly quieted himself, choosing to tend to his wound instead. Meanwhile, the captain wordlessly strode over to the ailing Burter, who managed to still himself enough to pitch a whimper. Whether it was to garner sympathy or a knee-jerk reaction to what he knew was coming, the beast knew not. All he knew in gaining his memories back was who the man in charge was, and that he was in serious trouble.  
  
The captain gestured for Burter to step forward. The saurian did so immediately, abandoning any efforts to maintain an air of bravery. The captain then pointed to the blue beast, and then to the ground. Burter took that as a signal to kneel and dropped to his knees readily, not daring to meet his leader's gaze. Callused hands wrapped themselves around his dislocated jaw, and unceremoniously popped it back into place.  
  
"Graaarr..." Burter opened and closed his mouth a few times, wincing and rubbing his sore jaw.   
  
"Better?" Asked Ginyu in a tone so flat one could tell he didn't care either way.  
  
"Yes. Th-Thank you, Captain..." came the beast's quiet response. With a 'hmph', Ginyu turned to walk away. "...That's it?" He called to his leader. Normally, Ginyu would have beat him about the head a bit for lesser things.  
  
The captain turned back around, his red eyes smoldering. "You are such an unbelievable disappointment to me right now, you aren't even worth the effort to raise a hand to." The saurian's shoulders drooped. For him, as a part of the Ginyu Force, it was the worst possible insult. Essentially, he was so weak, so worthless, so much of a non-threat that to hurt or to kill him would be a waste of time. It was an insult they typically reserved for the most benign of races, and moreover, the Saiyans.  
  
Having nothing else to say to the saurian, Ginyu turned his attention back to Goku. "I'm sorry you had to see my men at their worst. Infighting isn't very stylish at all." He crossed his arms. "In any case, that Plateau place... We're pretty near it, right?"  
  
"That's what King Kai said, yeah. Um, if you keep heading in that way," Goku point off to the left someplace. "you'll hit it fairly soon."  
  
"Then that's where we're gonna go."  
  
"Say what?"  
  
"Listen," Ginyu began. "the big blue one there, Burter? He's always had a bit of a temper, but nothin' like that. Being in a place like this, for as long as he has, I'm willing to bet a chocolate parfait that it messed him up, up here." He tapped his head for emphasis. "I'd bet two parfaits that it'd drive anyone mad. I already have one half-mad dude under me, and I don't need three others like him. Hell, I don't want a piece of that!" The captain shook his head. "I'm getting myself and men the hell out of this desert."  
  
"Uhhhh..." Goku scratched the back of his head. "You may have missed it, but that place, the Monster Plateau, is where the  **really**  nasty creatures live..."  
  
"Have you been there yourself? Have you seen these ' **really**  nasty creatures' with your own eyes?"  
  
"Admittedly, I don't find myself in Hell that often, soooo..."  
  
The horned devil just snorted. "Then it's all just hearsay. And the way I see it, we're the biggest monsters of all, so we should get on just fine." He flashed an aggressive little smirk, but dropped it in favor of his leader face as he turned to his men. "But first, we have to take care of this flightless nonsense between the late-comers in this band." Ginyu squared his hands on his hips. "Yellow Streak! Really Really Big Guy #2!"  
  
Jeice and Burter raised an eyebrow and eye ridge respectively before gesturing to themselves. "Those are your names now. You'll earn your proper ones back when you two get your shit together." He snorted. "But first thing's first. We're going to this Monster Plateau place, and every man is gonna get there under their own power. No more of this piggybacking stuff. That said, you're gonna have to learn how to fly in a hurry, and you can learn on the way."  
  
Unsheathing his sword, Ginyu stuck his blade in the sand, the cutting edge facing the direction Goku pointed out, laying his scabbard down as added insurance. "But for now, rest up. You two are gonna have a loooootta walking to do tomorrow..." He ended in a dry chuckle. "And Goku..." The captain called over his shoulder. "Give my regards to the cricket kings, if you would."  
  
"Ha, will do. Take care of yourselves." With a gentle wave and a bit of Instant Transmission, the Saiyan departed. And so, five remained.  
  
As Ginyu settled in for a rest of his own, he now had a half-mad snake guy with anger management issues, a cowardly second in command, a loyal brute that routinely made him feel stupid, and a toady sort whose presence was largely forgettable... Somehow, he thought getting the gang back together would have turned out a lot better than this.


	10. The Purple Comet Pair and Your Soul

Burter took mild pleasure in having such long strides, for it meant that Jeice would have to work hard to keep up with him. At least, that was the theory. No, the person woefully acknowledged as the Force's second-in-command chose to run ahead of him from time to time. Not that Jeice could outrun he who was only exceptionally fast, though not the fastest in the universe (though Burter wasn't quite ready to accept that), certainly not. No, Jeice preferred to try to figure out how to regain his ability to fly.

At first, like Ginyu, he figured that maybe gathering his energy would be the answer, but it only succeeded in making him even hotter than the desert had. After much jumping and sighing, his tactics had devolved into holding his arms out in front of him and making a  _whoosh!_  noise, sometimes with a little hopping added for variety.

"Hm, still nothing..." Jeice shook his head.

"Well, what did you expect?" Burter muttered under his breath.

"...Ah, I've got it!" The red skinned fellow held his arms out to each side. With a running start, he leapt into the air and gave them a bit of a flap. "Quack!"

Burter stopped dead in his tracks and just looked at him. "Wh... What?"

Try as he might, he just couldn't get airborne, and abandoned that latest attempt. "Bugger, I thought for sure that woulda done it. Guess channelin' a space duck is out."

The blue one died a little inside after hearing that. A feat in itself, all things considered. At least all his efforts rendered it useless for the saurian to try his hand at regaining flight. Things fell back into relative silence for a time, but Jeice, being Jeice, couldn't remain quiet for long.

"You have any ideas, then? On learning how to fly again, I mean." He looked to Really Really Big Guy #2 for guidance, not unlike a dog to its master. The blue giant thoroughly ignored his ruddy bipedal dog. "I thought goin' through the motions would get me airborne, but that didn't work out," Jeice continued. "Makin' a cape of me shirt didn't help, either. Hmm..."

Annoyance was plastered all over Burter's face, but undeterred, or perhaps just clueless, Jeice pressed on. "Maybe balloons? Or perhaps, giant bats..."

Burter sighed. "And just  _where_  do you plan on getting balloons? Or giant bats?" He paused. "And why giant bats?"

"Ha! Made ya talk!"

The blue hurricane balked. "Oh, come on, Burt. What's with that surprised look on yer face? You know I know you could never resist commenting when I started  **really** spoutin' nonsense," the red one chuckled.

Forget being annoyed, now Burter was just angry. How was it that his teammates could manipulate his behavior so easily? They could play him like a fiddle, and it was downright frustrating.

Jeice sighed, tired of his companion's silence. "How long are ya gonna be mad? Look, I'd be hot under the collar meself if the shoe was on the other foot that day on Namek, but sheesh, I really thought you were dead, mate!"

It wasn't only about the abandonment issue. Recoome had aired some dirty stinking laundry, and in stripping him of his given name, Ginyu had stomped his pride into the dirt. Guldo... Well, Guldo hadn't really done anything to him, but he was mad at everyone and that everyone included him. It just so happened that he could only be justifiably angry with Jeice, so Jeice was going to be the one to take the abuse.

Yellow Streak could see clearly that Really Really Big Guy #2 was determined to not speak to him, but he was nothing if not persistent. "Are you mad because Cap chose me as second-in-command instead of you? I'm not tryin' t' pester ya, mate. I just wanna, y'know, fix whatevah's broken, yeah?"

And when the blue one still refused to acknowledge his words, he just shook his head. "Look, pally, I know you're mad, and I know I'm largely talkin' to meself, but you know, you don't gotta get yerself all riled up over this. Me and Cap, and Recoome and Guldo... We went through a lot just to get to this point to find each other. You, too." He sighed. "I always thought we were good friends. Better than good, actually. I thought things couldn't be bettah between us, but I see now that ain't the case at all. I just want you to know that you're me best mate. You're still me best mate. Even if you hate me right now, you're still me best mate. And well, if me nudgin' you out of the number two slot bugs you so bad..." A thoughtful look overcame Jeice's face.

"Cap'n Ginyu!" He called to his leader. "Could you and the others come down fer a sec? I got somethin' t' tell ya!" Burter raised an eye ridge, not sure of the game he was playing at.

The three descended. "What is it, Yellow Streak?" Asked Ginyu as he landed, plunking his sword into the sands and none too eager to oblige.

Jeice took in a sharp breath through his nose and looked directly in his captain's eyes. His face wore a stony expression unbefitting him. "Captain Ginyu," he began. "...I hereby relinquish my position as second-in-command of the Ginyu Special Forces."

Recoome and Guldo blinked and exchanged glances. If Captain Ginyu was surprised, he certainly wasn't showing it. "You're sure that's what you want?" He asked in his gravelly tone.

"Quite frankly, Cap'n, I simply ain't leadership material, if my new name weren't a big enough clue." The red one grimaced.

Ginyu just shrugged. "Well, if that's how you want it... I acknowledge your relinquishment and hereby relieve you of your duties as second-in-command of the Ginyu Special Forces." He waved his hand in a half-pompous gesture. "Is that everything you need?"

"Uh, yessir..." He rubbed the back of his head. Somehow, he thought his captain would have more to say about it than that. Ginyu gave him a curt little nod and unceremoniously returned to the air.

The toad and behemoth lingered behind. "Jeice, why'd you give up your position?" Asked a flabbergasted Guldo. "You didn't have to do that. You didn't have to do that at all."

"Ol' Guldo's right, Jeice," Recoome followed. "We ain't got no enemies to fight, no missions to go on, not like we did. There ain't no reason why you had to up and quit bein' second-in-command."

The red one just shook his head. "You said yerself that you didn't agree with Cap's decision. It's doing us not one bit of good to have all this resentment over it, so it's better for all of us this way. Hell, y'might say this is the most like a leader I've ever acted." He grinned wryly. "Now, g'wan, Cap'll yell at you if you lallygag any longer." Jeice shooed the flight-capable fighters away.

"... Cap didn't say too much, and Recoome may have only touched on it, but you know, you guys are being stupid about this. Like, super stupid. I'm not sure why I have to be the one to point it out." The toady shook his head. "We're stuck in what has to be the assiest part of Hell yet, and for whatever reason, you want to out-ass everything around you? What kind of logic is that? We don't need any more crap! We're standing in enough of it!"

Burter got the distinct feeling he was talking more to him than to Jeice. "Listen, we all have our memories now," Guldo continued. "We all know that what's going on right now. And what's going on right now, it isn't us. It isn't you." He waggled a finger between Red and Blue.

"'Ey, Guldo," Recoome stooped to his level. "We'd better go. We'll lose sight of Cap if we stay any longer."

Guldo sighed and took to the air to rejoin his captain. Recoome gave his own little sigh and turned to leave, but not before casting a backward glance at Burter, who averted his gaze in what he could have only guessed to be shame. "If you two want to keep hating on each other, that's on you," the behemoth spoke. "But for the sake of the Force, work it out."

Recoome took flight to rejoin the flight team. And so, Red and Blue were once again left to their own devices. They stood together in an awkward silence, visibly jarred by their teammates' strong words.

"Ha, I think we just got told..." Jeice chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck. "Anyway, we're really gonna hafta learn to fly again, mate. This walkin' stuff is for the birds."

Burter opened his mouth to point out the irony of his statement, but kept his piece. He regarded the red one thoughtfully. Jeice hadn't said it outright, but he knew exactly why he had done what he did. The saurian sighed internally. "…Hey."

Jeice turned around.

"…You're right. We're going to have to figure this out. We're holding up the rest of the team. But..." He began to steel his gaze. "I'm only cooperating so we can get to where we're going. It doesn't mean we're on good terms. I want to be very clear on that."

Had he even heard a word Guldo said? "Whatever you want, mate."

Of course, Burter had heard every word his diminutive teammate had spoken. In his heart, though, he just wasn't ready to admit that maybe, just maybe, he was wrong.

* * *

They marched, Red and Blue, for who knows how long thereafter. The rest of their team were little more than specks in the twilight. The entire trek was... frustrating. Frustrating was really the perfect word to describe it. Burter was already in a bit of a mood, having had to put up with being lectured by Guldo of all people, but the discomfort brought on by the heat really just put him into a bad state, uncomfortable even by reptile standards. While his mammalian cohorts could simply make themselves wet and stinky to keep cool, he had no such luck. The blue giant had to take to panting instead.

Uncomfortable or otherwise, the pair continued to traverse the sands. They were currently conquering a particularly large dune, which was no easy task. Completely focused on their steps, they scant had time to consider their changing environment, much less each other.

"J... Just a few more steps, mate..." Jeice huffed and puffed, each step sinking into the shifting sands. Burter puffed out a breath of air as his reply. They eventually made it to the dune's peak. The Red Magma wished he could breathe a sigh of relief, but as his eyes followed the landscape, there were dunes as far as he could see. Defeated, he plunked his rear into the sand. The Blue Hurricane, who had been having considerably greater issues moving through up the dune, finally reached the top as well. His breath caught in his throat.

Jeice waived his hand. "Yeah. We still have a loooooooooooong way to go..."

It eventually became clear that Burter hadn't gasped because of the endless dunes, if his elevated head was any indication. Puzzled, he turned back to the land before him, craning his neck up slightly. He, too, was shocked into silence.

Breaking through the yellows and blues and reds and oranges, was a broad band of purple. A brilliant shade, but one oh so familiar. It was the color of past glories. The color of teamwork and tempers and excitement and space and friendship. They looked up at it for what seemed like forever.

Perhaps, at that time, he took Guldo's words to heart and thought on them, and on the humiliation he had received from Recoome. Perhaps, in his honest train of thought, he had secretly missed everything that came with being a Ginyu. Or perhaps, just maybe, he simply missed Jeice, and was tired of being angry. He turned his head to his ground-bound partner, a softened expression worn on his face. "Hey:"

Jeice turned to him. "Keep up with me." Pushing through his fatigue, Burter galloped down the dune and began to run in a zig-zag pattern on his way to cross the others.

The red one threw his hands up. "You've gotta be puttin' me on... Runnin'? Now?"

"Keep up with me!" He repeated in a bark.

Resigned, Jeice followed in the tracks that the saurian made not long before. "At my side! Hurry!"

"Sheesh! Y'wanna gimme a chance to catch up?"

Ah, that's right. He remembered he would often travel at Jeice's pace when they were conducting a routine. He slowed himself enough for the red one to gain, enough to where he could join him in a run.

Running... It was the thing that truly made him feel free. He prided himself so much on his speed. It was what landed him his spot on the Force to begin with, though his power level was certainly nothing to sneeze at. He never wanted to slow down for anyone. But things change, as they are prone to do.

Maybe it was because they were the two youngest members of the Ginyu Force that they got on so well. It was really only when he was with the Force, did he feel like he was treated as a man, and certainly not some child or a manner of beast. That, though, had really begun with Jeice, who had never been put off by his more bestial characteristics. Maybe it was for that reason that he agree to his silly proposition...

" _Oi, Burter! Check this out!"_

_The saurian cocked his head quizzically. Jeice proudly held up a sheet of red acetate in one hand, and a sheet of blue acetate in the other. Then, with a schoolboy's grin, he overlapped the two, a newly colored sheet appearing. "See? It makes purple!"_

_He didn't have the heart to tell him that this was a grade-school discovery at best, and so, feigned amazement. "Totally! That's the look I got, too!" Jeice laughed. "And after I discovered it, it got me to thinkin'."_

_"Oh? And what were you thinkin', exactly?"_

" _Well, blue and red make purple, right? And you've got a blue aura, and I've got a red one, right? So maybe if we, like, combine our energies somehow, we can make a new purple attack!"_

" _Uh... huh..." He wasn't very convinced. Jeice sucked his teeth. "Come onnnn, mate! Just think! A fabulous purple rain to shower down on our enemies! How does that not sound cool?"_

" _I can think of a few ways that it doesn't, actually."_

_"Bah, you're just like me mother. She's never satisfied!" He crossed his arms "Just practice it with me fer a bit! Be a pal, eh?"_

" _...Fine. I'll help you out, but you owe me a case of space sodas regardless of whether we come up with something. Orange flavored."_

" _It's a done deal, mate!"_

_And so, hours and days were spent on the training grounds, trying to find that balance of power and style that encompassed everything Ginyu. Leveling their ki hadn't been hard at all. Their power levels were so close together, it was a snap. Even coming together to combine their energies wasn't awful. The real issue came with giving it that edge, that flair, that Ginyu Force quality. It had to have style, if nothing else. Eventually, though, they found it in the form of a sneeze. Apparently a little dust in the air was the final ingredient. Jeice let loose a large one as they were combining energies, discharging energy discs (among other things) every which way. The groundskeepers may not have been thrilled, but Red and Blue sure were. A simple kiai replaced the sneeze and their new attack was officially ready to be put into action. Captain Ginyu, so impressed with their work, honored them by naming it himself: The Purple Spiral Flash._

Looking over, he found Jeice had finally reached his side. "Hey." The Red Magma turned to him. Burter's head gestured above. "That purple in the sky is pretty cool, don't you think?"

"Yeah, it's pretty cool."

His body shifted to the right in its zig-zag run, his smaller partner keeping up without missing a beat. "To make purple, you need to put red and blue together, right?"

"Right. I taught you that, remember?"

"Of course. Don't you think our purple is a lot cooler?"

Jeice finally cottoned on. "Our purple is so cool, there ain't a hexcode in existence what could pin it down!"

Burter shot him a sidelong smile. "...Let's do it. You and me."

He touched his hands to his face in mock coyness. "Oh no, I'm far too shy."

Really Really Big Guy #2 shot him such a glare, and Yellow Streak just had to laugh. "Kidding, kidding!"

The blue one snorted but didn't think anything more of it. One they had reached the peak of the next dune, Burter stopped in his tracks, Jeice stopping with him. They took a few moments to catch their breaths.

His skin was as leathery as it had always been; his carapace with all its ridges accounted for, impressive as ever. A thick tongue ran along the spurs and points of molars and canines, and he clacked his teeth in approval. Stiff scales crackled as he rotated his neck, and a deep rumble emerged from vocal cords that hadn't existed for years. And the best part was that such a magnificent body was his to use. And use it, he was going to.

In a slow sigh that built up to a drawn-out, rumbling growl, Burter began to power up. Jeice followed his lead, his own red aura washing over him. The two took off like a shot, blazing like rockets across the sand. Each of their steps in sync, they kicked up wild dust in their wake. This was it, the time to put their differences aside to regain their lost glory as the Purple Comet Pair. He didn't want to be angry anymore. He had his comrades now; there was no reason to be angry. The desert had been such a lonely place.

_I want to go..._

No longer, though. A magnificent body once again his, he wanted to touch the sky, and whatever was beyond it. Maybe the others, maybe they wanted what he wanted. Maybe they could want it together, and make an afterlife for themselves in the bowels of Hell. Even in a place like that, if they were together, the 'where' didn't matter. He couldn't recall a time where it had ever mattered.

_I want to go to where the others are..._

For some reason, for the first time, he felt he finally understood the concept of teamwork, of friendship.

_I want to go to where I belong._

The peak of the next dune presented itself. "Jeice, are you ready?" He barked almost happily.

The Red Magma laughed. "I'm just waiting on you!"

"Then, let's go to the sky!"

They sprung forth, rocketing from the sands and cutting the sky with streaks of red and blue. To their surprise, or perhaps, to no surprise at all, they were airborne. Burter stuck out his arms, victorious, and gave a deep, throaty laugh.Jeice gave his own little cheer and spiraled around his blue comrade. Not to be outdone, the saurian spiraled around his partner in the opposite direction, making a double helix across the sky. For them, it was just good fun. And when they combined their energies, the band of purple that hung in the sky couldn't even compare.

Further ahead, the other Ginyus had since retired from their own flight for the day. Fatigued, they set up camp, Ginyu's sword and scabbard proudly pointing in the next day's direction. Ginyu himself had nestled in a shallow pit in the sand. He laid on his back, scanning the skies for nothing in particular. When his mind was at it's laziest, two streaks of light bobbed and dipped and zigged and zagged across the sky. He blinked and rubbed his eyes, sitting up in his gradual awareness. Upon further scrutiny, he saw the streaks were red and blue, cutting the airspace as though they had no cares and no worries.

It struck a familiar chord deep in his heart.

The captain fell back to the sands, chuckling to himself. "Well, well.. Burter, Jeice, it's good to have you back."


	11. The Threat Your Soul Must Face

A full-fledged team again, the Ginyu Force traveled the skies for the duration of their time in the Gripless. There was an air of happiness among them when they began again. Well, perhaps 'happiness' was a bit too strong, but somehow they all felt lighter than they had before.

That is, until they set foot inside the Monster Plateau.

Living up to its name, the land was largely flat apart from the odd sandstone mesa here and there. It was a coarse place, no more inviting than any other they had traversed. Actually, it was far less inviting. The aura in that place was thick and heavy with evil, as though lead weights were slowly crushing their frames. Ginyu had never set foot in this land, but he could feel what lay there somewhere beyond the horizon, beyond the hazy red sky...

In a way, the captain was lost. He had successfully tracked down are reintegrated his men, but what came next? Yes, their stay in Hell was suddenly a lot more entertaining, but a bet was a bet, and a lot was riding on him to prove his men were Pretty Swell Guys. How exactly could he prove something like that? Anyway he looked at it, they were all trained killers and practically reveled in the mayhem they caused over their lifetimes, his own self included. The Force had always been a hardened crew, but they were also an overwhelmingly arrogant one. Being dead, left to the mercies of the lands and its horrifying creatures, and powerless for much of their journey had humbled them, though. Who would have thought that there were things much greater than themselves in life or death?

"Cap'n Ginyu?"

"Jeice?"

The red one looked around warily. "I don't like it here."

"Yeah, this place ain't like the others at all." Recoome joined in, looking mildly stressed. "It doesn't feel right."

"I can practically taste it on the air…" The tip of Burter's tongue poked between his teeth. "It's sort of bitter, like organs. There's so much in the air here, it's overwhelming."

Even Ginyu had to admit that this place had an energy that put him on edge. His arms were covered in goosebumps, and if he had hair, it would be standing on end. "Maybe this is where all the  **really**  bad souls go. It would explain the sea of dark aura we're all swimming in, that's for sure."

He had initially been worried that his men would go crazy from the unchanging desert landscape, but now he had to wonder if they would go mad with fear. Was this place really any better than the Gripless? Ginyu rubbed his brow.

"So what's the plan, Captain Ginyu?" Guldo asked, looking no better than the others.

The lavender leader crossed his arms. "...We're gonna have an adventure."

"Aren't we already on an adventure?" Asked Recoome, scratching his head.

"Well, yes, while that  **is** true..." Ginyu began, breathing sharply through his nose. "We're still not up to snuff regarding our abilities. So we're gonna find ourselves some sparring partners."

Jeice cocked his head. "Sparring partners? In the Monster Plateau?"

"Sparring partners in the Monster Plateau."

Burter raised an eyeridge. "So, monster sparring partners, then..."

Ginyu touched his nose.

The others exchanged glances. "...Sooooo, I have an idea." The toady piped up. "What say we just make our way back to the Grey Frontier and spend the rest of our afterlives not being attacked by things?"

"Hey, yeah. Now that I think of it, that place was a pretty sweet gig compared to all this other stuff." Recoome stroked his massive chin. "I'll do you one better and say we oughta head back to Bloody Lake. There's an amusement park and chocolate parfaits and everything."

Everyone's ears perked up at that. "Well, bugger!" Jeice threw his hands up, a chuckle leaving his lips. "What the heck're we doin' playing monster hunter when we oughta be makin' our way to civilization?"

"Hey, ol' Jeice has got a point, Cap," said the behemoth. "We're all back together now, and you said we weren't gonna do bad things anymore, so why do we hafta worry about that stuff?"

"Recoome is right, Captain Ginyu." Burter crossed his arms. "What's so important that we have to endanger ourselves needlessly?"

This wasn't good. Ginyu was worried this would come up at some point. He couldn't possibly divulge the reason for their entire ordeal and risk losing the bet, and his own existence. The lavender bull squared his hands on his hips. "...Men, do you trust me?"

They all exchanged glances.

"Do you trust me?" He reiterated, his red eyes boring into their very souls.

"Of course, Captain," Recoome's voice rang out. "I think I speak for everyone when I say we trust you with our lives. Well, our souls." The other four nodded in agreement.

"Then trust that I'll not lead you into anything that you can't handle. Don't forget who we are." He hoped that sounded convincing enough. He was wearing his most serious face, so surely they would have confidence in his words. Ginyu turned around, scanning the surrounding area. "There." He pointed to a mesa off in the distance, just a fuzzy nub on the horizon. "We'll camp there and call it a day. Monster hunting begins first thing tomorrow."

With that, the boys followed their leader without further questioning. They couldn't help but notice an almost eerie fog skulking about the ground in that area, thickest around the base of the rock they called home base. Choosing to ignore it, they landed on the mesa's flat top, and began to settle in for the 'night'.

"Do you guys feel that? Tell me I'm not the only one that feels it. I can't be the only one feeling this."

Ginyu rolled his eyes. "Feel what, Guldo?"

"Jeez, I  **am**  the one one who feels it, aren't I?" Guldo rubbed his arms. "It's like... a crawling, tingling sensation. I've felt it since we came within a few feet of this place."

"Maybe you got some sand fleas in your body suit?" The captain shrugged. He knew whenever Guldo felt something out of place, it was usually a good idea to listen, but he was tired and didn't particularly feel like having something else to worry about.

"Truth be told, this kinda feels like somethin' out of a horror movie, y'know?" Recoome scratched his peanut head. "Like we're just one shower scene away from a horrific end."

 _Nevermind that there's no water to be found in this region..._  The captain rolled his eyes.

"Well, we're never going to get to sleep at this rate..." Burter lounged in the back, seemingly calm but just as unnerved as the others. "When I was a kid back home, we used to tell stories in these situations. Something to turn our fears into a fun experience."

"Hey, I've got one," spoke the toady. "I remember stories from my home planet... Stories of creatures that come out on foggy nights when you're fast asleep."

"Here we go..." Ginyu grumbled, but the others had already started paying him their attention. "They say," continued Guldo. "that on foggy nights, this creature, Skivbaku, that's when it comes."

"Skivbaku? What's it look like?" Jeice asked, scooting closer to the storyteller and sitting cross-legged.

"Well, no one knows for sure, but I've heard it has a loooooong snout ..." Guldo extended his arm in front of his face to illustrate. "and is about as large as five cats. It has thick, curving tusks, and claws good for climbing. You can tell when it's climbing on you, because you'll get a crawling sensation on your skin. Just like I have now."

"So why would this Skivbaku thing be crawling on anyone?" Came Burter's question, still skeptical but interested enough to probe.

"I'm getting there. See, when you're fast asleep on a foggy night, Skivbaku creeps in through a vent or an open window, any point of entry, really. Creeps in just as easily as the fog, itself. And if you're an especially deep sleeper, woe to you. It'll climb up with those claws it has, creeping and crawling until it's right on top of you, and..."

"And?" Blue, Red, and Ginger asked, rapt in his tale.

"And... steal your skivvies clear offa ya."

He was met with the blank stares of his teammates.

After a long silence, Burter spoke. "...So, it's like a baku..." Burter squinted his eyes, as if trying very hard to comprehend Guldo's tale. "Except it eats underwear instead of dreams and nightmares?"

"Oh, I get it. Skivvies. Baku. Skivbaku. It makes linguistic sense." Recoome stroked his chin.

Jeice snickered. "I guess you might say that's the  _long john_  and short of it. Eh? Ehh?"

Ginyu slapped the back of Jeice's head, eliciting a yelp from the smaller man. "Oh, come on! You're all worked up over an underwear-eating monster? After all the actual threatening crap we've been through? In life  **and**  death? Give. Me. A. Break."

"'ey, now that ya mention it..." Jeice began to rub his arms. "I'm feelin' all creepy-crawly, m'self. And there  **is** the little matter of that fog below us... Y'sure that thing ain't real, Cap?"

Ginyu appropriately facepalmed. "Oh, no no no. We are not doing this today... Listen, we are going to get some rest, and when we wake up, our undies will be right where we left them when we went to sleep. I honestly do not believe I have to say this. What's next, do I have to start giving you all goodnight kisses, too?" Ginyu closed his eyes, as if holding back an explosion of frustration over the sheer stupidity of it all. "And Jeice, so help me, if you say something to the effect of 'I've been waiting a lifetime for this moment,' I'll slap you again."

The Red Magma snapped his fingers. "I don't want to hear anything more about underpants monsters or fog or odd sensations today." Ginyu crossed his arms. "If you want to see a real monster, we'll go find one tomorrow. But for now... Go. To. Sleep." With that, the captain flopped to the ground.

"Bah, you're no fun, Captain..." Guldo pouted a bit and found himself a comfortable patch of rock to sleep on, but still shifting and rubbing his arms.

Jeice found his own patch beside Guldo, making a pillow of his hair and draping his shirt over his legs (just in case). "Oi, I thought it was a kinda neat story, mate," he whispered to the toady. When he saw Burter settling in close to him, he waved the saurian away. "Oh, no you don't, Burt. Go sleep on the other side of the rock. I don't feel like bein' annoyed awake by your little nose whistles."

Burter snorted. "I can't help it. I have tiny nostrils, sheesh..."

"Well you can help yourself to sleepin' in a place where I can't hear them, that's for sure."

The Blue Hurricane waved dismissively, then carried himself to the far end of the mesa, dropping to lay on his side, his back facing Jeice. Recoome just shrugged and settled somewhere between the two.

* * *

The Monster Plateau was surprisingly comfortable compared to the Gripless. While it was still sort of warm and slightly humid from the presence of the fog, and despite the dark auras they could feel all around them, their mind eventually tired and they had little trouble falling asleep. Even Guldo and Jeice, with their odd skin sensations, soon found themselves in Dreamland. It was amazing how well they were able to adapt to this place with no real day or night.

But perhaps, they fell asleep a little  **too** easily. The fog that had been hovering just at the base of the mesa began to roll higher, slowly ascending up the rock. It crept and crawled and lurched and grew into curves and points, edging ever closer to the summit...

Meanwhile, Jeice stirred. He grumbled and flicked his ear, finding himself being roused out of his sleep more and more by an irritating noise. When he couldn't stand it any longer, he sighed and stood up. Sure enough, the ever-mobile Burter had managed to roll his way back to his side of the mesa top, half lying on top of the surprisingly deep-sleeping Recoome. His head positioned close to where his ear was just seconds ago, whistling away.

Jeice threw up his hands. Once he was awake, he was awake. Well, if he couldn't sleep, then he may as well get in some flying practice. He gave his body a good, deep stretch, and snapped to a pose out of force of habit. Turning, he made his way to the table mountain's edge...

...when what should be there to greet him but a giant, beastly head?

Jeice was frozen with fear. The creature stared back at him with fiery red eyes, so large and faceted that they could have been giant rubies. The fact that they were set in a 'mask' of golden scales only emphasized their gem-like qualities. Its scaly mask ran up its head, transitioning to a crown of seven long, bony spikes, and ran down to frame the base of a thick, mid-length trunk which tapered to a fleshy point. Two long, curving tusks broke through its upper jaw, while two more, more modest in size, curved outward from its bottom jaw. The beast flicked its short, cattle-like ears and lifted a massive, shaggy paw, long claws cutting into the air.

"Sk-Sk-Sk-Sk-Skivbakuuuuuuu!"

 _SLAMM!_  The creature's paw crashing down onto the mountain, the force of impact sending cracks running along the top. Jeice just narrowly managed to avoid being crushed. Between his screaming and the beast's slamming and awful bellowing, the others awoke with a start. Dazed and confused, it took only seconds to become aware of the situation. Their breaths caught in their throats at the very sight of the beast.

"Aaaaah! I told you! I told you!" Guldo shouted in a panic. "Jeice, give it your undies!"

Jeice turned to the toady, aghast. "I'm not givin' it me underwear! That's where me goonies live!"

Ginyu was far too surprised to be scared. "It really exists?" He shook his head. He didn't have time to stand in awe. "Guldo, restrain that thing!"

"My paralysis won't work on something that huge! That thing is waaaaaaaay bigger than a Soul Ent!"

At that moment, the creature's second paw came down on them, the force demolishing the top and causing it to collapse in on itself. By the grace of the gods or just plain dumb luck, the Ginyus managed to jet away more or less unscathed. They spread out in a ring around the beast, sizing it up and weighing their attack options. "Captain, how're we gonna handle this?" Recoome asked.

 _'Hell if I know!'_ was what he wanted to say, but he was being depended upon to lead, and so remained silent, studying what he could of the gargantuan beast. A massive frame on thick, straight legs, all covered in a shaggy, brown coat, it was somewhere between an elephant and a bear. A quadruped that large would probably have trouble getting back up right away...

"I've got it. We've gotta take out that thing's legs. Knock out the supports, and the whole house comes tumbling down. Once it's down, we gut the sucker. Guldo," he turned to the toady. "If you can't paralyze it, pelt it with boulders and keep it distracted long enough for us to get to its joints."

"Can do, Captain!" The resident esper retreated to a safer distance and began to concentrate his psychokinetic power.

"Recoome, Jeice, it'll probably take at least three of us to bring down even one of its legs. We'll concentrate our blasts in one spot and hope it'll do the job. Once it's down on its side, we'll attempt to gut the sucker." He turned to the Blue Hurricane. "Burter, once Guldo begins, that thing will undoubtedly try to flatten him. I'll need you to keep him out of stompin' range. Can you manage?"

"If there's a job to do, I'll do it," he replied without missing a beat.

Ginyu nodded soundly. "We all have our parts to play. Guldo! You ready?"

The green one lifted his arms and the freshly-made boulders with them, hovering his weapons in position. "On your command, Captain Ginyu!"

"Then, let 'er rip!"

As the esper let his boulders fly, so too did the Force into their respective roles. As Ginyu, Jeice, and Recoome put a little distance between them, Guldo hammered the beast about the head and face, in turn becoming the target of its aggression. Burter skidded to the toady just as the creature turned its great head in his direction and scooped him under a muscular arm. "You ok?"

"I'm fine, just try not to pin down my arms." He 'threw' another boulder at the beast. The mammoth monster charged the two, but it would have to be content to eat Burter's dust. The saurian ran around it enough to force the Skivbaku to turn its massive frame each time, in effect giving Guldo precious seconds to batter away at it with more boulders. They did no real damage, but their aim was to distract from Captain Ginyu and the others. The Blue Hurricane may not have been exactly back to 100%, but what speed he had was enough to outmaneuver the shaggy creature. A bare-chested blur, he darted every which, only stopping to allow for Guldo's assault.

All this only served to irritate the great beast, and in a show of its massive self, reared up. Everyone present could see what was coming next, and quickly took to the sky. The creature's heavy top half came crashing back down, the earth quaking violently in its wake and shooting up a thick plume of dust that swallowed Burter and Guldo. Their hoarse coughs leading it, the Skivbaku cleared the dust with a mighty trumpeting, mighty enough to send green and blue into a tumble and loud enough to make the remaining three growl in pain at the very least.

"K-Keep powering up..!" He gritted his teeth, blinking dust out of his eyes. He doubted the others could hear him over the beast's blaring. Ginyu had to resist the urge to cover his ears. At this rate, he feared their ear drums would blow out. Still, they willed themselves to gather energy, hoping that their own power would be enough.

After the sudden gust, the fall, and subsequent landing,Guldo found his eyes blinded with dirt. His eyes teared up and he tried to rub his eyes to ease the discomfort, which only served to make it worse. Though even more worse, unbeknownst to him, the fall had separated him from Burter. The toad dared not call his name, for fear the beast would advance upon him. Was he still cloaked in dust clouds? He had no clue. He had to clear his vision quickly.

Guldo's little frog heart sank when the first ominous stomp came from behind. When the second one came, his heart leapt, but that, in part, had to do with Burter's swift rescue. The Blue Hurricane sped away, determined to keep some distance between them and the monstrous beast. The Skivbaku, however, had other plans. It lowered its body and held its trunk perfectly parallel to the ground. Then, its chest began to inflate, taking in air like some great shaggy vacuum.

Burter became aware of the resistance immediately. It became more and more difficult to keep at his running pace, and he soon found himself unable to resist the monster's pull. If only he could run faster...

"Captain!"

"They can handle it!" Ginyu barked, cutting off Jeice's inevitable complaint.

Finally having regained clear eye sight, the esper began the defense. "Burter! Turn toward it!"

The blue giant complied, and one struggled turn let them face the danger face to face. Quickly concentrating his powers once more, Guldo chose a relatively large boulder from the pile and had it levitate just above the Skivbaku's head. With a wave of his hand, it fell, crashing soundly on top of its trunk. The beast immediately roared in pain. Its threat temporarily neutralized, green and blue scrambled out of the danger zone.

The monster shook its heavy head back and forth, trying to free itself from the offending rock. It thrashed about so violently, it was a wonder that it hadn't caused itself further injury. That was of no concern for Ginyu, though. Seeing the opportunity for what it was, now was the time to strike, maximum power or not.

"Aim for the back of its knee! On my command, right hind leg!" He adopted a firing stance. Red and Ginger followed suit, digging their feet into the dirt and drawing back their hands.

"Fire!"

They let their blasts fly, white-hot and streaking through the air. Their combined power landed a direct hit, violently exploding upon impact. The Skivbaku howled a miserable howl, and in its throes, yanked its trunk free—an unintended consequence of their assault. It pitched and reeled and bowled itself over, landing violently on its side.

Once the earth ceased its quaking and the dust settled, Ginyu breathed a sigh of relief. Their combined effort had brought down the beast. He raised his hand and waived it forward, signaling his team to advance on the creature. Quickly and quietly they moved in for the kill, minding the beast's wild thrashing.

Unfortunately, the Skivbaku recovered much more easily than Ginyu could have anticipated. With a bit of rocking, it rolled forward and got back to its feet, the three just barely dodging the hefty pillars that passed for its legs. Not wasting any time, the monster turned to face Ginyu and the others, now too close for comfort, and with a speed that would have been thought impossible for its size, swung its heavy trunk and knocked back all three men with an equally heavy blow.

The captain took a hard landing in the dirt. Recoome had the misfortune of tumbling across the ground and hitting his head on a poorly placed rock. It wasn't enough to render him unconscious, or even mildly concussed, but it did well enough to make him bleed.

"Captain!"

Ginyu lifted his head from the ground. His eyes widened in fright. Jeice was in the clutches of the beast, its trunk coiled tightly around his body. Try as he might, struggle though he did, the Skivbaku refused to yield. Ginyu and Recoome sprung to their feet, rushing toward the creature. The Red Magma could hear his heart beating in his ears as he inched ever closer to the maw of the beast. "Awwright! Awwright! You can have me briefs if they means so much to ya!"

Suddenly, a blue blur rocketed past lavender and ginger. The second half of the Purple Comet Pair came to his partner's aid, leaping with all the grace that came with his race and locking his arms around the base of the Skivbaku's trunk. The beast bellowed in an almost indignant manner, but the Blue Hurricane wasn't having any of it. Summoning his ki, he strong-armed the creature's appendage and pulled it as much as he could, as though trying his damnedest to take the whole beast by the nose.

"Captaaaain! Recooooome!" The saurian called out. "The tusks..! Break one the tusks!"

 _Easier said than done!_  Ginyu thought. Just then, an idea struck him. "Recoome," he addressed the behemoth. "I hear you're quite skilled at the hammer throw..."

Ginger cottoned on surprisingly quick. "Ready when you are, Cap."

With a short, almost bark-like kiai, Ginyu fired up his white-hot aura. "Remember, with style!"

Ankles secure in his clutches, Recoome spun his leader right round, and when enough momentum had been built up, he released him, sending him on an express flight to the creature's right tusk. The captain tucked in his arms and legs, entering a rapid forward spin, and when the time was right, he send a bone-shattering double kick on the broad base of the tusk, shattering it at the point on impact and sending it plummeting to the ground.

Unsurprisingly, the Skivbaku was not happy in the least. The force of its enraged roar was so great and so loud that it stunned both Burter and Jeice, leaving them both disoriented. Feeling the saurian's grip had loosened, the beast flung both him and Jeice to the ground, crashing into Ginyu and Recoome. So distracted and so enraged was it, that it failed to notice what was becoming of its newly lost tusk. It shook a bit, through no visible means, and then, it split and halved itself, becoming like the blade of a scythe. And then, as if through magic, the scythical half lifted itself in the air, and spun in the air like a throwing knife, making a beeline to the Skivbaku's neck.

With a sound akin to a knife slicing into a juicy tomato, the ivory scythe sliced through the creature. The massive head that once broke the very sky fell to the ground with an earth-shaking ' _THUD!',_ and the gargantuan body fell on its side a final time. Now dead as a creature of Hell could be, its form began to fade, and became a blanket of fog once again.

Adrenaline still running high, the warriors had to allow themselves a few moments of calm. Burter was the first to speak. "Well, I'm glad that worked out," he chuckled, shaking the dizziness from his head.

"Looks like ol' Guldo came through for us again," said Recoome, wearing a lopsided grin. "Yo, Guldo! Where are ya?"

"I'll be right there, if you gimme a sec!" The little toady groused, fanning away mist that did all but swallow him. The others had to laugh. "Sheesh, what a night. Day. Whatever." He cracked his neck. "I guess this isn't the place to be telling scary stories."

"Speaking of that, what the hell, Guldo? I thought you said that monster was as big as five cats," Jeice grumbled. "If by 'five cats' you meant 'five space ligers'!"

"Don't get mad at me about it! I also said no one knew for sure what it looked like, either! And anyway, if you had just given it your undies, we wouldn't have had to gone through all that!"

"Anyway, that's all water under the bridge now," said Ginyu, surprisingly calm. He hardly felt it necessary to raise his voice over something so trivial. "Just be glad we all made it out with our souls intact. And anyhow..." He crossed his arms. "I think the sheer size and power of that thing... I think it had more to do with this area than anything else. You all felt it when we got here." Ginyu narrowed his eyes. "That overwhelming concentration of dark aura... That feeling was always  _sort of_  there in our travels, but this place..." The captain drew a hand to his chin. He didn't really want to speculate when he couldn't be sure of anything. "I'm not entirely certain, but I think it responds to evil thoughts and ideas. This place, I mean."

Recoome scratched his head. "So, what, if we suddenly start talkin' about nasty beasties, they'll start appearin' outta thin air?"

"Well, Guldo told that story about the Skivbaku..." Though he couldn't really be sure if a story about an underwear-stealing monster really qualified as an evil thought. "And lo and behold, one appeared before our very eyes..." Ginyu shrugged. He was really beyond trying to figure out how Hell worked at this point. "If anything, it just ends up being convenient. We came here for monster sparring partners, and they basically appear on demand. In the end, this is really going to work out for us."

"But what comes after that, Captain Ginyu?"

He really had no clue. He was no closer to figuring out how he could prove them all to have changed for the better, and it was probably just a matter of time before they all slipped back into old habits. Ginyu had to suppress a sigh. "You just leave the details to me. For right now, though, I think we've earned our rest."

No arguments from the rest. As he and his subordinates settled in a slightly more hospitable area, and eventually drifted off to a peaceful slumber, Ginyu laid awake, feeling that somehow, the opportunity to prove themselves was just around the corner, coiled up and waiting silently.


	12. The Reprieve and Your Soul

The workings of the Monster Plateau took a bit of time to figure out.   
  
This place, which seemed to defy the very nature of being, was easily the strangest region Ginyu had ventured into since his journey began. At first, they thought they could just make up things to battle, but when the beast with a billion backs and the abominable snow cone man failed to make an appearance, they found this was clearly not the case. The monsters of their stories, however, showed up like clockwork. Whether it was the terrible sandworms of Planet Zebub or the cursed legion of dog-headed soldiers from the lost tribes of Brench, the things steeped in their individual histories were the ones that always came out to play.   
  
Perhaps the mystic fog responded to those ideas with generations upon generations of cultural belief behind them. Energy was energy, and they supposed that extended to the energy of thought. Take that energy from countless thousands of believers over countless millenia, and one had a recipe for some truly horrifying creatures. Still, the Ginyus being who they were, the whole concept was a bit too high for them to ponder for very long, and so treated the appearance of said creatures as a game.  
  
For all its marvels, the mystic fog couldn't produce monsters continuously, and so, most of their days were spent reviewing the basics-- close-quarters combat, target practice, grappling, ki attacks and deflections, and most importantly, posing.   
  
All things considered, afterlife was good at this point. The Ginyu Force was reunited at last, and it was only when they were all back together did Ginyu realize just how much he missed his men. Though the years spent as a frog were incredibly peaceful, they were also terribly frustrating. Being stuck in a body without a means for spoken word or opposable thumbs was a hell in itself. With so little ability to do much of anything, it had given him plenty of time to reflect.   
  


* * *

  
  
Planet Brench had already been under control of the Kold clan for years by the time he was born. Brench was one of the lucky ones – rich in resources and already boasting a race with decent power levels and an ingrained warrior culture, the Planet Trade had more to gain in integrating them rather than destroying the Brenchians outright. Over time, the concept of being a soldier of the Trade became romanticized. Going into space to fight the good fight, having adventures across the galaxies, capturing glory as a Brench tribesman... It became a common staple in Brenchian literature, from the wordiest of novels to monthly comic books. As a child, when he first cracked open the pages of "Captain Brenchman: Warrior of Space and Time," he knew what he had to do.  
  
Ginyu had always been a bit of a nerd, but first and foremost, he was an opportunist. When he first gained his bodyswapping abilities, the first thing he did was to switch bodies with that of a boy from a wealthy family. Years passed, and he enjoyed a life of privilege. When he came of age, his combat training began, as it did  for all Brenchian males. When training was complete, Ginyu found himself at the start of a whirlwind career as a warrior of the tribe of Asterion. A stand-out with a power level that was nothing to sneeze at, he quickly ascended the ranks, and when the chance to work directly under a high-ranking officer came, Ginyu knew his time was coming.  
  
The warrior tribesmen of Brench and its moon were largely reserve soldiers, called upon when things escalated beyond the capabilities of the main teams that worked under the sons of the Kold clan. Coupled with the fact that they had not be subject to the usual genocidal measures that were par for the course in the Trade, the Brenchian people were able to keep much of their culture intact. Many years passed and many battles passed, and through his stellar performance and upholding the values of his tribe, Ginyu was eventually  made a captain.   
  
Captain Ginyu.  _Captain_  Ginyu... It had a nice ring to it, but it just wasn't enough for him. He was made to be on the front lines, not to be banished to the moon to languish as a simple cavalryman. If nothing else, Ginyu was a calculating man, and  knew it would only be a matter of time when an opportunity came along.   
  
Not two months after becoming a captain, he had gotten word from a superior –the man who had been  _his_  captain, and who had since been promoted to commander—that Lord Frieza would be arriving on Brench for an inspection of his holdings. As a captain, his presence would be expected in greeting their ruler. This was it! The opportunity he had been waiting for!  
  
Meeting Frieza had been everything he expected. Though many of their books spoke of the great ruler, none dared to show his face or even speak of his physical appearance. It could have simply been because there were very few (if any) that might ever had laid eyes on him, but what words and what drawings could capture his magnificence? The short, pink, almost frail-looking body may have fooled some, but he carried in him such presence that there was no question in Ginyu's mind that he was indeed the master of the universe.  
  
After the obligatory salute and asking to honor him with the Dance of the VIP Guest (Frieza politely declined), his commander presented the fresh Captain Ginyu. The Lord seemed genuinely intrigued. Ginyu bowed deeply. His heart beating loudly in in his chest, he humbly asked permission to show the lord a demonstration of his power. His commander chided him, but Frieza simply waved his hand non-chalantly. "Please, Commander. Allow this man to prove his worth to me," he pulled back his lips, mildly amused.  Ginyu bowed again, thanking his master.   
  
Ginyu's body change technique was a well-kept secret. Only one other knew of his talent, the boy whose identity he stole. Once, on a whim, he checked the database for other Brenchian warriors registered under 'his' childhood name, and sure enough, he found him, now serving under Lord Cooler. His old, blue body had become rather handsome as an adult, Ginyu noted with a pang of regret.   
  
Any regrets he had, though, had all but disappeared. His gambit had played out well. Imagine his poor commander's surprise, suddenly finding himself being stared in the face... by his own face. The 'commander' turned to Lord Frieza and bowed deeply.   
  
"I, Captain Ginyu, humbly thank you for the opportunity, my lord."  
  
After the initial shock wore off, Frieza, being Frieza, thought about killing Ginyu outright. How or why he was able to swap bodies didn't matter, only that he could. What was to stop him from stealing his own body? But then, if that was his aim, he would have done so at this first opportunity, when Frieza would not have known to expect it. And now that he had seen what this Ginyu was capable of, he would  _have_  to know that there was no way he could ever get away with trying such a thing at this point. Assured in his own mind, the tiny lord slumped back a bit in his hoverchair, smiling slyly.  
  
"Surely it would be a considerable waste for one with such a unique ability to remain in this remote little outpost. I see grand possibilities for  **you** , Captain."  
  
"You honor me, Lord Frieza."  
  
Just as planned, Ginyu became Frieza's best-kept secret. While the poor commander had to be disposed of to preserve said secrecy, the Captain's opportunities for adventure rocketed up to the stars like a space pod. In the Kold clan's seemingly endless expansion of their empire, some ridiculously strong types had been popping up, stronger than the average soldier, stronger than Frieza's right-hand men. Yes, the opportunities for new bodies were abound, and he had quite a few models he could boast as time went on. His latest was  a rather beastly mammal body with a luxurious mane that he took pride in styling, but took even greater pride in its power level, a whopping 80,000. It was around this time that news from home came that a young Alastor tribesman with extraordinary ki concentration had surfaced. He was rumored to have a power level of 35,000, hefty by Brenchian standards. He simply had to meet this person. With permission, he returned to Brench's moon to meet with the young prodigy.  
  
'Young soldier' was the understatement of the century. The red-skinned boy looked like he had barely entered puberty in his ill-fitting leotard and faint freckles dotting his cheeks. With his heavy head of hair, Ginyu had to wonder how this waif was even standing. Still, the waif called Jeice was nothing if not enthusiastic. Ginyu never made any mention of being a Brench moon tribesman at that point –with his distinctly non-Brenchian appearance, who would believe him?  That much hardly mattered, though. What mattered was an opportunity to mold the youngster with his unique talent and power. After all, in later issues, Captain Brenchman  **did**  gain a sidekick...  
  
But it left Ginyu to wonder. Was there a chance that other exceptional fighters existed in the darkness of the universe, ones eager and willing to do Frieza's bidding? Or at least, scared enough for their own lives to do so? In an interesting proposition, he suggested to his lord and master than a special task force be created to deal with particularly challenging missions, with Ginyu as their leader.  It wasn't enough for the team to be exceedingly powerful. No, this team would have abilities beyond the typical elite (After all, who would buy their comics if they were just everyday soldiers?). A collection of these hypothetical unique fighters, the names of whom would shake even the rowdiest of races to their core. An elite fighting squad, a terror the universe had never known, a force the likes of which the universe had never seen, and would never see again. A force led by Ginyu. The  _Ginyu_  Force.  
  
Convinced, Frieza ordered Ginyu to seek out these fighters wherever they may hide.  
  
The first addition had obviously been Jeice, but the second, surprisingly, they found practically hiding in their own backyard. In a solar system neighboring the one of their home planet, and like Brench, long since conquered, rumors of a nigh invulnerable behemoth began to make the rounds. They found him on the super oxygenated planet Kyokutair, where  **everything**  was huge, including the people.  
  
Though a miserably ugly fellow, he was heavily trained in close-quarters combat and his tolerance for pain was unlike anything they had ever seen. But even moreso, his sense of style was off the charts. They wondered offhandedly if he was somehow a descendant of the lost tribes of Brench. His face didn't  _technically_  look like a dog's, but... And when asked by an unsuspecting Jeice just  **how**  it was he could take such punishment?  
  
"My body is a body made for the art of the dance!" He proclaimed proudly, twirling and leaping with grace not meant for behemoths. "What pain? What punishment? My love, my anger, and like, all of my sorrow are in these steps!" He stopped mid-pirouette and chuckled sheepishly. "Oh, and a power level of 40,000 also helps."   
  
As it turned out, he and Sauza went to the same dance academy and Ginyu had a good laugh at that one.  
  
A few years passed before anyone new came along. Jeice had filled out nicely, and almost looked like a real soldier. Through rigorous training under Ginyu's tutelage, and many hard-won battles, his power level eventually exceeded Recoome's. The behemoth in question had calmed down considerably, but his enthusiasm for the art of the dance was channeled into his posing routine, a telling tale of the group's prevailing Brenchian culture. Ginyu himself had found a new body. He rather missed having hair, but the new color was lovely, and those horns! He'd twirl a little twirl in  his private chamber, so happy to have horns that resembled Frieza's. Not to mention a power level of 120,000! Ginyu had long since been second in strength only to his lord and master, but this striking new rating cemented it. Things were becoming quieter than Ginyu would have liked when they received dispatch orders to the freshly conquered Planet Bas, where Frieza himself was. The report detailed an esper that had offered his services willingly, and commanded his Force should and meet this little Bas-jin.  
  
Brother, was  **he**  ever a sight...  
  
The Bas-Jin themselves were of low standing in the power level department, clocking in anywhere from 3,000-7,000 on average. What they lacked in power, they made up for in psychokinetic ability. It made them dangerous. Frieza didn't like dangerous. The planet itself had nothing to offer, and with proposal for a bloodless acquisition off the table, the usual dregs of the 'cleaning crew' came in to take care of business.   
  
This Guldo, though, he was a bit different from the others. His power level of 10,000 was nothing to sneeze at by Bas-jin standards, but not nearly enough for Ginyu to be impressed. In fact, it was almost laughable. He was also a tad overweight but nothing anyone could call chunky.   
  
The Bas-jin in question strolled to the front of the group and cleared his throat. "As you know, us Bas-jin know our way around the block when it comes to psychokinesis. But," he held up a pudgy finger. "I've got something up my sleeve that no other Bas-jin has. I... wait for it... have the ability to stop time."  
  
As expected, he was met with blank stares.  
  
Frieza hid a quiet laugh behind his hand. "Ah, Mister Guldo, was it? A demonstration, please."  
  
"As you command, Lord Frieza." He bowed as cordially as someone like him could, then turned to Ginyu, smiling politely but tinged with deceit. Ginyu knew his type well. Then, in an instant, he was gone. Before he even had time to turn around, the sound of a throat clearing came from behind him, and there Guldo was, perched on Recoome's shoulder guard like he belonged there to begin with.   
  
"Heh heh, despite your looks, you're a slick one, ain'tcha?" Recoome chuckled.  
  
"Hey, there's nothing wrong with using the talents you have, friend," the toady shrugged, half-smiling as though the answer should have been obvious. "But actually... Oh, uh... " He paused, then gestured toward the floor. The behemoth picked up on it surprisingly quickly and set Guldo with care on the floor. Ginyu raised an eyebrow. This guy wasn't even an official Planet Trade officer at this point, and yet he dared command a member of the Ginyu Force? Worse yet, his subordinate actually obliged? This Guldo either had some hefty balls or he was just plain stupid. But he had to admit, such an attitude was worth admiring. Just a little.   
  
"Ok, so the way I see it, I've got a good little thing going here, this stoppin' time business. Seein' as it is such a good little business, and I'd rather not see it end, if you catch my drift, I humbly ask to join your ranks, Captain Ginyu."  
  
The lavendar man crossed his arms. "So you know of us already? Well, that saves us a bit of time, at least." He paused to stroke his chiseled chin.  That time-stopping thing you do would be a real asset to us. However, the real question is..." Ginyu's hand shot forth, pointing an accusing finger at the toady. "What makes you think you have what it takes to be a part of the Ginyu Force?"  
  
"Lord Frieza, may I have permission to reassure the good captain?"  
  
Frieza waved his hand dismissively. "You may do as you please."  
  
Guldo nodded curtly, then turned back to Ginyu. "Captain Ginyu," he squared his stance. "I was told that you are a very... unique man... with a unique way of doing things. If  psychic powers or even the ability to stop time is not enough for you, then maybe you'll appreciate this!"  
  
The Bas-jin made a few extraneous movements, before dropping to one knee and putting his arms up in a V position. Ginyu stumbled back, as though he had been hit, and in a way, he had been. He had been knocked back by the sheer force of style.  
  
The captain's red eyes bore into Guldo, his mouth drawn back to a thin line. Slowly, he held out his fist, and even more slowly, a callused thumb raised itself.  
  
"You're in."  
  
It turned out to be a good addition to the team, in the end. Within half a year, the Ginyus were called to far-off Hatchuru'un. While the serpentine people of Hatchuru'un were a somewhat powerful sort, powerful enough to send Zarbon and Dodoria out with the purging teams, their population was small and had little in the way of an organized military. It should have been a clean sweep, but strange, unexpected disturbances were being reported. On average, the Hatchuruen people's power levels were somewhere around 18,000 at best, but a few small units sent out were being killed wholesale, and no one with a power level under 21,000 had even been sent out. So what was the deal? They had a schedule they needed to adhere to, and this would not stand.  
  
The Ginyu Force touched down on Hatchuru'un on time, as expected. After their obligatory rolecall and a briefing from Zarbon, they travelled to the coordinates of the most recent incident that occured earlier that day. It was a warm place, that part of Hatchuru'un. Really rather comfortable. Between the scorchmarks where battles had clearly taken place, the untamed cobalt grass of the countryside spread out over the horizon. What they could have guessed were houses at some point lay in piles of rubble, Hatchuruen corpses littered around them. Further out, bits of armor led to bits of bodies scattered on the ground. Unfazed, Ginyu flipped over a corpse of one of the Trade soldiers with his foot. He studied the wounds of one man, then meandered to another soldier, then another, then another... Whoever was doing the killing was an amateur. His attacks were absolutely sloppy, not the doing of a trained fighter.  
  
Suddenly, their scouters picked up a high reading coming from the east. Each man turned in the direction their scouters pointed, but found themselves attacked from behind before they could even complete the turn. The Ginyus swatted at the clouds of dust kicked up from the assault. The subordinates crouched, ready to spring in the direction of where the blast had been fired, but the captain raised his hand, commanding them to halt. He then went through a series of other gestures: pointing to his scouter and then to his ear— _wait and listen for the reading_ —then to Guldo, then raising a halting hand and pointing to his wrist— _Guldo, be ready to stop time_. The esper nodded, tensing in anticipation.   
  
Several seconds passed in aching silence. Where? Where would the next attack come from? When would the scouters alert them? Finally breaking the silence, their scouters beeped, and on cue, Guldo held his breath, freezing time. He had to act quickly. His lung capacity wasn't the greatest, and there were only seconds to spare before he had to exhale. The toady scanned the area. There! The ki blast would have actually been barreling right to him. He felt himself break into a cold sweat, but didn't have time to dwell on how close to death he'd probably been. Running as fast as his short legs could manage, Guldo ran past the blast in the direction of its source, toward one of the houses, still mostly standing. Could the attacker be inside? No time to check. He could only hold his breath for a few more seconds. The toady ran around back, where he found a plume of dust trailing into the surrounding tall grass, and what was this? A suspicious foot in mid-run disappearing within said grass. With no time to waste, he, too, went into the grass, parking himself in the path of the blue-footed guerilla. This would hurt a bit when time started back up again, but it would make his capture easier.   
  
Drawing out a sigh, time restarted, and the Hatchuruen tripped and took a rather rough tumble in the grass. From there, Guldo trapped the poor soul in a paralysis field and with that, put an end to his shenanigans.  
"Captain! I've got him!"  
  
Ginyu and the others rushed over. All having the same idea, the three with scouters measured their captive prey's power level, and were surprised to find the fiend was only a few thousand points lower than Jeice.  _Another exceptionally strong fellow appears..._  Ginyu stroked his chin. He could tell from the wounds inflicted on the lesser soldiers that he lacked battle experience, but surely such raw power could be shaped and molded, right?  
  
"Guldo, get ready to release him. Recoome, get ready to drag him outta here."  
  
Both men nodded, and the switch-off went without a hitch. In the behemoth's vice-like grip, the Hatchuruen found himself dragged out of the grasses and onto the scorched earth. Upon further inspection, the creature was actually quite tall. Not as tall as Recoome, but certainly taller than the captain. In the racial reports, the Hatchuruen were supposed to have carapaces with many ridges, but this one only had about five or six. He could only surmise that this one was a teenager or a young adult at best, perhaps around Jeice's age.  
  
"Hey, you. You're a pretty fast dude!" Ginyu began. "But fast or not, mind tellin' me what you think you're doing, going around blastin' through Lord Frieza's troops?"  
  
"Ich dich n'ch m'ch!"He spat in a gutteral language.  
  
Ginyu crossed his arms. He knew this place was way out in the boonies, but there was no way they were so far out that no one around spoke Common. "We're gonna try this again, but this time, I won't be so pleasant. Recoome?"  
  
With a smirk and a nod, the behemoth tightened his arms, putting the blue youth into a painful bear hug. "Aack... L-Let go..!" He hissed again.  
  
"So you  **do**  speak Common!" Ginyu had a smirk of his own.  
  
"A... A little..." The youth winced. He thought he heard his bones cracking.   
  
Snorting through his nose, Ginyu gestured for Recoome to loosen the vice, to which he complied. The captive breathed a sigh of relief, but his relief was short-lived. He was still surrounded by five sets of killers' eyes, sights all set on him.   
  
"Gotta say, you're pretty sloppy when it comes to killing opponents. You ever fight before?"  
  
"I... I fight, no... No fight...What you do? You kill me?"  
  
"Should I?"  
  
His red eyes widened. "N-No, please!"  
  
The Captain had a good laugh at that. "Well, I'm glad you feel that way! With your power and speed, it'd be a waste to off you like an everyday weakling. And seeing as you've killed a good number of our soldiers, the polite thing to do would be to offer your services to Lord Frieza. Isn't that right, boys?"  
  
Low chuckles filled the air around him. "Hey, you no worry," Jeice spoke in broken Common, half to mock their captive. "You join us, you no die. What you name?"  
  
He regarded the red man thoughtfully. "Me am... I am Burter."  
  
"I am Jeice. He is Captain Ginyu. He leader, very strong." He gestured to the lavender bull, then flexed his arms to illustrate his point. "You join, be strong like us. We strongest in universe!"  
  
"I want be... I want to be strong. If strong, beat bad guys like you." His eyes were brimming with resolve, but his words pricked Ginyu a bit. 'Bad guys'? The Ginyu Force? Hardly. They weren't bad guys. The real life Captain Brenchman wasn't a bad guy. He was a good soldier, upholding the values of the tribes of Brench, completing his missions with perfection, and all to expand the magnificence of the Imperium Friezanum. He refused to entertain such a thought.  
  
"I challenge you," the Captain spoke in a low voice, pointing an accusing finger at the blue beast. "Join my ranks, become stronger. Let's see if you beat the 'bad guys,' or become one yourself."  
  
And in a voice that was practically a growl, Burter replied:  
  
"Challenge accepted."  
  
It was a challenge he would lose outright. Amid the glory that came with his power and association with the Ginyu Force, as well as finding an unexpected camraderie with the other youngest on the team, the one called Burter eventually forgot about his resolution to fight the 'bad guys'. Towering over all, a massive beast with a proud many ridges and an ego bigger than himself, he had completely forgotten, and so, became the very thing he once loathed.  
  
Ginyu hadn't forgotten, though. He would never forget being called a bad guy. Those that didn't submit to Frieza's will,  **they**  were the bad guys, right? The real life Captain Brenchman could never be a bad guy, right?  
  
In retrospect, it was about at this time that he realized that maybe, just maybe, he had been wrong about everything.  
  


* * *

  
  
Captain Ginyu drew his sword and studied it closely. Though it had seen its fair share of battles since his adventure across Hell began, it still retained a marvelous shine. In the blade, he could see his own reflection, as clearly as looking in a mirror. He looked so tired. He didn't remember ever looking so tired. He rubbed his rough hands over his face.  
  
Ginyu decided that he'd done enough thinking for one day and meandered back to base to await the return of the others. In accordance with Brench tribesman principles, a warrior was to take one day a week to meditate upon himself and his place in the universe. They usually ended up just eating junk food and having dance battles (because sweet treats and a bit of boogaloo is  _kind of_  like meditating), but this time around, he decided they would observe the day properly.   
  
Base 2.0 was another mesa like the one they stationed themselves in before the unexpected attack of the Skivbaku. Imagine his surprise to find his men already there waiting for him! Just how long had he been away? The captain breathed sharply through his nose and rubbed the back of his head.   
  
"Heya, Captain. Welcome back." Recoome was the first to greet him, smiling genuinely.  
  
"Excuse my tardiness, men. Keeping folks waiting is incredibly unstylish." He sat himself down, cross-legged.  
  
"Hey, no worries, Cap," Jeice piped up. "We ain't been here that long."  
  
"Well, that just means I'm fashionably late." Ginyu chuckled, slicking back imaginary hair. "So, how did everyone do today, havin' to use your heads for a change?" He asked half-jokingly.  
  
"Eh, it wasn't bad." Recoome once again nabbed the first comment. "I kinda missed dancin', though. I like dancin'."  
  
"So I've noticed," Ginyu cut in, amused.  
  
"Um... I actually had a lot to think about," said Burter with an aside glance. He scratched the back of his neck. Clearly he was feeling a bit uncomfortable. "Recoome and I were the first back, and we talked a while. About of lot of things, actually..."  
  
"Wait, I thought Jeice said you all hadn't been here long?"  
  
The Red Magma threw up his hands. "Aww, way to go, Burt. I was tryin' to make it so Cap didn't feel bad about being unstylishly tardy..."  
  
Ginyu raised an eyebrow, smirking. "But isn't lying even more unstylish?"  
  
"A-Ah..." Jeice lowered his head, feeling a little sheepish. The others had a little chuckle over that.  
  
"Um... Like I was saying..." Burter sighed, searching for the words. "I guess... I owe everyone an apology. I really got out of line, and I feel rather ashamed of my poor behavior." He turned to the behemoth. "I'm especially sorry for causing you so much trouble, Recoome. You hadn't even done anything to me, and yet..."  
  
Recoome shrugged, reminding himself of the puncture wounds in his flesh. "Well, I sorta goaded you into it, just a little... Anyway, I know part of that was due to you being in that desert as long as you had. It's all right."  
  
The Blue Hurricane shook his head. "No, it really isn't. I really screwed up." Large blue paws covered large red eyes. He remained silent a few seconds, then, inexplicably, threw his head back and started to laugh. "Oh, man... I was so angry, but all you were doing was telling the truth!" His laughter subsided to a rather forced smile. "I'm really **not**  the fastest in the universe, am I?"  
  
The others remained silent, but it really didn't matter. Everyone already knew the answer. "Really, it's okay. I'm okay with that now. I guess it was kind of silly to think I was to begin with..." His smile eased into something more genuine, but was tinged ever so slightly with sadness.   
  
"Well, even if you're not, you're still the only you in the universe, right? That's somethin' special, I'd say." Jeice grinned.  
  
Burter snorted a laugh. "Jeez, how do you live with being so corny?"  
  
"What!? Corny!? Sheesh, how d'ya like that..." Jeice crossed his arms in a huff. "Recoome gets a heartfelt apology after knockin' you about the head, but after putting up with you being a Growly McGrumpypants, I get written off as corny?"  
  
The saurian threw up his hands. "Because you are!"  
  
"But whyyyyyyy?"   
  
Burter was practically in stitches at this point. "Alright, alright... Jeice, I'm sorry for being a Growly McGrumpypants. You're a good partner, if a bit yellow-bellied..." He snickered.  
  
"So now I'm yellow-bellied?" The Red Magma clenched his fists. "You'll see! I'm gonna be so reliable and brave, they'll add it to me name! They'll see me coming out of a space pod and ask 'I say, who is that dashing young fellow?'" He said with a distinguished accent. "And those in the know will answer, 'That's Jeice the Reliable and Brave! He never turns his back on his mates!' and then you won't be able to say such things about your good ol' partner!"  
  
"Oh? Then I'll hold you to it. I challenge you," he pointed a large, thick finger at Jeice. "to become the brave, reliable person that won't turn tail and run when things start to look rough."  
  
Jeice merely smirked. "Challenge accepted."  
  
Ginyu blinked. Those words had an ironic echo, ones that stirred up memories of a missed turning point. He felt his chest tighten a little. The Purple Comet Pair, meanwhile, just shared a laugh. "Hey, Jeice. If you need some inspiration for bravery and reliability and all that, you can always look to me." Guldo puffed out his chest.   
  
Jeice couldn't contain his laughter. "I'm sorry, what?"  
  
"Hey, don't laugh! I've been doing really well!"  
  
"You sure have, Guldo," came Recoome to his defense. "We wouldn't have been able to take down that Skivbaku if not for you, much less that Soul Ent."  
  
"Soul Ent?"  
  
"Eh, we hadn't yet found you when this happened, but we crossed through this nasty place called the Geyser Flats, blood shootin' out o' the ground—BLOOOSH! Like that—and all kinds of crap. We were almost eaten by a big ol' tree monster," the behemoth held his arms out wide. "but ol' Guldo really came through for us."  
  
"See? You could really learn a thing or two from me!" The toady squared his hands on his hips and held his head up, a proud grin plastered across his face.  
  
"Heh, suppose I could, Mr. Hero." Jeice reached over and gave Guldo's shoulder a playful shove.   
  
"Hah, no way. If you're gonna be Jeice the Reliable and Brave, then I'll be Guldo the Courageous and Mighty."  
  
"And why not? It fits pretty well, I'd say," Recoome nodded in approval.  
  
"Well, I guess if we're all picking titles, I'll be Burter the Resolute. I only need one name."  
  
Jeice cocked his head. "What, nothin' tellin' about your wicked speed?"  
  
The saurian shook his head. "I'm not gonna define myself by that anymore. I want to be the sort of person that won't lash out at his teammates, someone..." He paused for thought. "Someone determined to see us through even the worst of situations to the very end. I think I could live very well that way. Well, 'live,'" He made air quotes of his fingers.   
  
"Mmmm..." Recoome had since busied himself drawing little chocolate parfaits in the dirt. "I'm actually just happy bein' plain ol' Recoome. I actually thought about that a lot today, what things might have been like had Cap never showed up." He caught himself. "I mean, I don't regret it or nothin', but it's like, 'Oh, maybe I coulda been a famous danseur,' or 'Oh, I wonder if I coulda made it with the Intergalactic Dance Company...' or 'Man, I really miss bein' on stage.' Y'know, that sort of stuff." He drew a cherry. "But all in all, I'm glad I could meet the Captain and all of you guys, too. I wouldn't ditch you for nothin', not even for a dance contract that paid me in parfaits."  
  
They all had a good laugh at that. Ginyu, for the first time in a long while, was genuinely proud of his men. If Hell was place for punishment—and being honest, having to go through everything they did to find each other was a  **huge**  punishment—then it was also a place of realization. Circumstances aside, they each made the choice to behave cruelly in life, and so justly deserved their punishment. In being here, scared and powerless, as many of their victims had been, it dawned on Ginyu, slowly, that he had not become the Captain Brenchman he wanted to be. In his heart, all he ever wanted was to be a hero.  
  
But what was a hero? He really had to think long and hard about it. Captain Brenchman was a Brench tribesman that upheld the values of the Brenchian people, values that expressed fairness as a warrior. Even though he killed in the name of Frieza, his blows were clean and he was never cruel toward his victims. But in the end, tinted rose-colored and decorated with pretty words, genocide was genocide, and the moment he made his first kill in Frieza's name, he forfeited his hero status.  
  
Ginyu shook his head. He had been wrong. He had been entirely and utterly wrong. Though, for having molded his entire image on a big fat lie, Ginyu did not feel anything that could be described as sadness or regret. Somehow, after making the realization, he felt very free. No longer bogged down by the lies of a fake hero, he felt he could seek out the truth. He could be the sort of hero he'd always intended to be. And he would while he still had the luxury of a body.  But if he was going to start over, then he was going to have to come clean.   
  
Breathing deeply, Ginyu prepared himself. "Men," he began in a most formal tone. "I'm going to share an awful truth with you."  
  
The other four snapped to attention. When the captain spoke, everyone took notice. "When I was young, I came into a very flawed way of thinking. I based the way I acted on what was essentially a lie, and was not able to recognize it for what it was. Even more unfortunately, I unwittingly thrust that lie upon you all. It's true, when I came up with the idea of an illustrious fighting force, it was for the purpose of expanding the glory of the Planet Trade. And we did, very well, actually..." He couldn't help but smile a bit. "But even though we were Trade soldiers, we had our own culture largely independent of that. Our culture is based on Brench culture.  It is a culture of fairness as warriors and as men... and is entirely incompatible with Planet Trade culture." Ginyu paused, sighing. "...It's a very large failure on my part to not have recognized it sooner."  
  
"Aw, Cap. You don't gotta--"  
  
"Let me finish." Ginyu held up a halting hand. "Listen, I will never regret having the honor of leading you men. Let me be clear on that. However, I have absolutely failed myself as a Brench tribesman, and in doing so, failed all of you. And so, at my lowest point, I will share with you, the absolute awful truth…"  
  
Ginyu rose to his feet, standing far too proudly for a man who just admitted his entire life was a lie. "All those years ago on Planet Namek, I did not die. I'll say again, I did not lose my life on Namek that day. I fought as I had not fought in many years, and when I found myself outmatched, I used the power granted to me and swapped bodies with the Saiyan, Goku. He warned that I wouldn't be able to tap his great power, but I refused to take heed. As it turned out, he was right. The depths of his power weren't meant for the likes of me…" Ginyu clenched his fists. "In a complex scuffle, I ended up in this body you see once again. Gravely wounded, I tried to swap bodies with Vegeta of all people in a last ditch effort to turn the battle around, but…"  
  
The captain hung his head and scrunched his face, as though the words tasted bitter on his tongue. "I left that battle no longer a man, but a… a helpless beast. Though I had words, I could not speak. Though I had legs, I could not stride proudly. Though I wanted to die, I was shown mercy and my life was spared. In the end, I was completely humiliated…" He sighed.  "And then, somehow, I came to find myself on another world, a peaceful place. There were no battles, and there was no glory. There were only reminders, reminders of what I had been. I lived as a lowly frog for years in that peaceful place. I  **loathed**  it… But for the first time, I really,  **really**  had to think about where I went wrong to end up in such a state."  
  
The captain turned his back to them a while and tapped his foot, as if momentarily debating whether to continue. "And when I finally died…" He turned to them again, laughing a sad laugh. "I couldn't even do so with dignity! I was stepped on, squashed flat by a giant lizard that couldn't even be bothered to eat my remains. In the end, I died as an afterthought. The once great Captain Ginyu, leader of the most illustrious fighting force in the universe, died flat and alone, not even fit for a beast's snack."  
  
His men remained silent, taking in his words. As he looked back at them, he could see the range of emotions forming across their faces. Confusion, contemplation, pity, and... was that... joy?  
  
"Captain Ginyu..." Recoome rose to his great height and walked over to his leader, placing large, meaty paws on his shoulders. "Don't you see?"  
  
"R-Recoome? Woah!" Ginyu found himself lifted off the ground, those same paws now tucked under his arms.   
  
"You weren't knocked off by that lousy Vegeta! You survived!" The behemoth laughed and swung his captain around playfully.  
  
"S-Stop it! Put me down, man!" He barked through a bluish blush.  
  
"You said you wanted to die, but you kept on living. It takes more strength to live when life ain't worth livin', doesn't it? You kept on livin', and you learned some stuff, and you were better for it. You didn't fail at all!"  
  
Ginyu's eyes widened. As the others began to gather around him, he tapped the behemoth's forearm, embarrassed to be seen held up like some giant lavender house cat. With a nod and an airy chuckle, Recoome set his captain down, smiling a goofy smile. The good captain looked around him. Smiles to his left, smiles to his right, and the biggest directly in front, all for him. His heart swelled.  
  
"Ok, ok, gimme some room!" He shooed them a little. "Listen up and listen well," he raised his voice and began to pace. "All of us, every one of us, died like chumps, chumps that couldn't see what they had become before it was already too late. As leader, I shoulder that blame. But know this!" The captain stopped dead in his tracks and faced his men, stony-faced and shoulders rolled back. "The old Ginyu Force died with that broken little frog. From this moment on, we set out to be the Ginyu Force we should have been from the start! The most illustrious fighting force in the universe will shine brighter than it ever has before! Are we clear on that, you guys?"  
  
Rousing cries filled the air in agreement. "And who are we?"  
  
"We are the Ginyu For--"  
  


##  **BOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!**

  
  
A great and powerful sound filled the air, and all five men immediately doubled over, covering their ears and crying out. Ginyu tried to shake the ringing in his ears, but it was to no avail. And then, when the noise had died, and the ringing had subsided, the crushing darkness they had all felt upon entering the Monster Plateau doubled, tripled, quadrupled... It just kept growing and growing heavier and heavier upon them. The captain felt his chest and gripped his leotard. At least, that was his intent.  
  
He couldn't feel it. Why couldn't he feel it? He brought his hand to his face, and his blood ran cold.  
  
"No..."   
  
His hand had begun to fade. As though looking through tissue paper held up to a light, he could see right through it. "Wh... What did I do?" He hadn't divulged the bet to them, right? None of them had done anything evil, right?  
  
"Captain, what's happening?"  
  
Ginyu looked beyond his own body to find that the others were beginning to rapidly fade as well. As they looked to him for guidance, Ginyu could only become filled with confusion and anger. Why? Why was this happening, after they had come so far? Guldo was the first to go, and Jeice shortly thereafter.  Burter left next with an anguished roar, and Recoome could only remain silent, looking to his leader with pleading eyes as he faded to nothing. And as Ginyu himself faded away, he could only scream his rage.  
  
The sound of that, too, faded with him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Why not check out the lovely fic art DeadlyChestnut made, based on this chapter's happenings? http://deadlychestnut.deviantart.com/art/Giant-Lavender-Housecat-273747555


	13. The Resignation of Your Brave Soul

_Twenty minutes ago..._

Business was bustling as usual at the Otherworld check-in station. King Yemma was in usual form, sorting through his neverending mountains of paperwork and sending the souls that had been good in life to their Heavenly reward, and the dregs to Hell, as it had always been. One would think since the reign of Frieza and the Kold family had ended, there would be fewer hell-bound souls, but the universe was a vast place, and where there was life, there was evil.

Those souls not fit for Heaven travelled single file along a concrete path and threw a dilapidated stone gate, ushered by a blue-skinned ogre not unlike Glasses. "For those of you going to Hell, we will need to have the evil in your hearts undergo cleansing," he said with a polite smile. "Please proceed into the Spirit Laundering machine over there."

Long past the gate, down a winding path, souls entered and exited what was essentially an industrial washing machine. Little white fluffs entered through a long pipe at the top of the machine, and tumbled down into a warm vat of holy water and Soul Soap™, and whatever evil remained was extracted when they passed between giant rollers presses, flattening them and oozing out the leftovers. But where did the darkness-charged waste water go?

On a lower level from the main machine, tanks littered the ground. Some were full of evil waste and some were just waiting to be filled. On the sides of the machine, these giant tanks were hooked up to tubes caught the waste and were on their way to filling up. That was of little concern to the red teenage tank clerk, who was too busy rocking out with his noise-cancelling headphones to notice.

"Hey! What are you loafing around for, tank clerk!" An older blue ogre shouted at him, thoroughly annoyed. "Heeeeeeey! Tank clerk!"

His air guitar solo over, he spun around and finally noticed someone else present and took off his headphones, smiling as though he had no idea what was going on. "Hey!"

"Don't you 'hey' me! If you don't start doing your job propery, I'll have to report you to King Yemma and your wages will be lowered." The older ogre sighed.

The younger looked down at his feet and twiddled his thumbs. "If they were any lower, I'd be working for free..." He muttered.

"Well, work harder and it won't be an issue." The blue ogre turned and began to walk away, casting a glance over to the nearly full tank. "Ah, shouldn't you be changing this now?"

The teen gave him a double thumbs up. The older ogre just shook his head and continued on his way. "Sheesh, what a busybody..." The youth grumbled, placing his headphones right back over his ears and resuming his Goof-Offapalooza. No sooner had he done so, the pressure gauge on the tank tubing nosed into the red and gave off a warning buzz. Streams of lightning began to wrap around the tank, and the collected waste bubbled menacingly. The streams of lightning grew larger and more violent, jumping from the connected tank to the filled ones that surrounded the area. And then...

 

#  **BOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!**

 

The violent explosion shook the entire check-in station. King Yemma toppled backwards from his seat. "W-What's going on?" He bellowed.

"Bad news, King Yemma!" A frazzled ogre appeared. "Something has gone wrong with the Spirit Laundering machine! There's been an explosion!"

"An explosion!" King Yemma got to his feet. "Then that means... all the evil that the machine collected has been released!" He broke out in a cold sweat. "How could something like this happen!"

Meanwhile, one extremely worried young ogre stood at the center of the giant mess. He somehow came out unscathed, but  _wished_  he could have gone out with the blast. King Yemma would no doubt here of his huge mistake, and who knew what punishment he would dole out over it? Surrounded by thick, purple smoke, he clutched a fire extinguisher, his eyes tearing up. "What do I do? I can't put this out..." He sniffled.

Rushing toward him was the older blue ogre from before. When he beheld the full extent of the damage, he let out a scream in shock. "You moron! You didn't change the tank, did you!"

Just then, another refused tank exploded, and a huge plume of colored smoke washed over the young red ogre. When he emerged, his face... Half of his face and body were a sickly yellow. Then, his head swelled to a massive size, then his arms and legs. The older blue ogre ran away in fright as the youth's body continued to grow and grow, until he burst through the grounds of the check-in station and could make for himself a comfortable seat atop its red roof.

A corpulent mass of evil ki, the mindless beast the youth had become could only call out: "Janemba! Janemba!"

Suddenly, the surrounding area began to twist and warp with its echoing cries. The air appeared to glisten, and suddenly the station was trapped in a glass-like prison. Inside the building, the familiar blue ogre raced down the main hall, trying his best to outrun the fast glass 'freeze'. "King Yemma! One of the ogres has been exposed to the evil waste and transformed-"

He was 'frozen' mid-sentence in the end, stopped in his tracks before the great red judge. The glass-like substance continued to advice and pile upon itself, the image of the yellow menace appearing within it. King Yemma narrowed his eyes. "So, this is the troublemaker who has placed a spirit barrier around this station, is it?" The image seemed to know that the king was speaking of it and smiled a toothless smile, bouncing up and down.

"Is there anything we can do, King Yemma?" The same frazzled ogre from earier asked.

The giant judge shook his head. "Not a thing. In order for the barrier to be lifted, something has to be done about this creature that created it... With me being sealed here, I can't preside over the matters of Otherworld. With my powers disrupted, the barrier between this world and the world of the living will break down! There's nothing to stop the deceased from coming back to life!"

* * *

Red eyes were met with a beam of sunlight shining down on him, as it did on his patch of pond each day, every day.  _Jeez, not this dream again..._ grumbled Ginyu in his own head. He went to rub the sleep out of his eyes, but his face felt different. It was dry, almost sort of gritty. His vision a bit fuzzy, he lowered his head to get a view of his flippers. They were huge and strangely colored. As his vision began to focus, he saw that they weren't flippers at all, but  _hands_... He wasn't dreaming at all! He still existed, he was still in his familiar body, and he was... feeling rather clammy, actually...

Looking down, Ginyu saw he was standing in the middle of a small pond, but what surprised him even more was his own reflection. Where was his halo? He pawed at the air above his head to be sure, but it was absolutely gone. Ginyu's breath caught in his throat. He was  _alive_...

Suddenly, a rumbling sensation came from Ginyu's stomach. He was alive, and he was hungry! It had been so long since he actually needed food, he'd almost forgotten what it felt like. When they all were still in Hell, they ate and drank and breathed because it was just what they were used to doing. A dead man didn't need water or food or air, but he was alive and his body was now subject to all the life processes that defined it.

Clambering out of the water, he shook out his sopping wet feet, annoyed that his footsteps would be making nasty squish sounds for a while. His boots were soaked clean through and he could practically feel every rock and twig under his foot. Walking around to get a feel for where he was, he stepped on a particularly uncomfortable cluster of pebbles. Lifting his foot, he could see that they had clearly been organized in some fashion. Little white, round pebbles formed a circle in the dirt. Was it a marker of some kind?

"Oh, please don't step there." A quiet voice called out.

Ginyu looked up, and his jaw all but dropped to the ground.

"Mrs. Mustache!" He gaped. During his life as a frog, a blonde-haired woman whose eyes never quite seemed to open would often accompany Mr. Mustache in his care of the habitats. Mr. Mustache would tend to the fauna, and the woman whom he assumed was his wife would tend to the flora. If she was here, then that meant he was on Planet Earth. He was alive, and on Planet Earth. He didn't understand it at all.

Meanwhile, staying true to form, the petite woman held her usual watering can in hand and looked (he assumed) back at Ginyu quizzically. "Hm? No, I'm Mrs. Briefs," she ended on a giggle. "But please, it's rude to walk across someone's grave." She motioned for him to join her on the proper path. Even if he truly didn't care, Ginyu decided to oblige her, squishing all the while. "Thank you. That was Mr. Funny Frog's grave you were on just now."

The captain's brow furrowed. "Um... 'Mr. Funny Frog'?"

"Oh, he was a real dear..." She drew a hand to her cheek. "The darling loved to dance, and sometimes we'd give him extra crickets as thanks for the entertainment. Honestly, we'd never seen such a sight!" She smiled warmly. "But sadly, we lost the little one about a year ago when Jurassy—oh, that's our big dinosaur friend—wasn't watching where she stepped one day and squashed the poor little thing. My husband found the poor dear and gave him a proper burial. He was such a delight."

 _Jurassy? Oh, Dinosaur Jackson..._ He laughed inwardly. Weird Earth death customs aside, Ginyu couldn't help but smile. Had he known they enjoyed his performances so much, he would have come up with some more exciting routines. "Well, we're all having some lovely treats in the backyard. Would you care to join us?"

"Wait, you're not even going to question what a big purple guy with horns and tight-fitting clothing is even doing here in this greenhouse?"

Mrs. Briefs let out a little laugh. "Oh, honey, when you've been friends with Goku and his family for as long as I have, you see all types."

"H-Honey!" Ginyu blushed deeply, then blinked. "Wait, you know Goku?"

"Why yes, since he was a little thing! Now why don't you come with me and we'll have some lovely tea and cake." She took his arm in hers. Ginyu blushed even more deeply. He wasn't used to dealing with lady types.

 _Cake?_  His mouth began to water, but he didn't have time for all that. "S-Sorry, Mrs. Must—er, Mrs. Briefs, but I really need to find my men." Would they even  **be**  on Earth? He felt a knot form in his stomach.

"Oh, nonsense. I wouldn't dream of letting you go without some Briefs family hospitality." Her grip on his arm tightened. "What do I call you, sweetie?"

"I..." He sighed. Well, she always  _had_  treated him well. He supposed he could be polite. "Please, call me Captain Ginyu."

"Oh, Captain Ginyu? I think our other guests mentioned a name like that."

Ginyu's ears perked up. "Then, they may be my men!" No longer content to stroll, the captain scooped Mrs. Briefs up in his strong arms and broke into a run. "Lead the way, Missus!"

"Oh, my!"

* * *

It was a very short run to the Briefs family's main compound. As he approached the backyard, he could hear the sounds of familiar laughter eminating from behind the house. Hopeful, he trotted around back with Mrs. Briefs still cradled in his arms.

Sure enough, there they all were, sitting at a round outdoor table, enjoying all sorts of tea and goodies and just having a grand old time.

"Men!" He shouted, smiling.

They all looked up. "Captain!" They all leapt from the table and surrounded their leader, smiles all around.

Recoome's brow furrowed, noticing Mrs. Briefs looking very comfortable in his arms. "Hey, no fair, Cap. I was gonna marry her." He pouted.

"W-W-What!" Captain Ginyu was as blue as Burter at this point. "I'm not marrying anyone! And anyway, she's already married!"

"Oi, she can have more than one husband if she wants!" Jeice rallied to her defense. He didn't know the Red Magma was into older women...

"I don't think it works that way, and if it did, I wouldn't be willing to share!" He caught himself too late. Recoome and Jeice were glaring strong enough to burn holes in his head. "Burter, you're usually the voice of reason. Help me out here."

"Um... I'm not into interspecies stuff, so..."

Ginyu let out a long, defeated sigh. Having had enough, he placed Mrs. Briefs down gently. "What a lively bunch!" She laughed. "Well, Ginyu, if you'd care to join your friends, there are plenty of treats at the table there," she gestured to the large table his men had just come from, filled to the brim with cakes and cookies and things he didn't recognize, but still looked tasty. "You go ahead and pull up a chair, and I'll be back with some more refreshments." With that, she bounced off.

"Oh, man, Cap. We're so glad you're here," Guldo said. "We didn't know  **what**  the heck was going on after just up and disappearing like we did."

"Yeah, no kiddin'," Ginyu crossed his arms. "Well, in case you hadn't noticed, we're all alive again, and on Planet Earth for some reason."

Burter nodded. "Yeah, the alive part we discovered pretty quickly. And Earth? Where is that?"

"Hell if I know!" The captain threw up his arms. "But this planet is where I spent those years as a frog, actually. Maybe that's why we were sent here, because of my link to this place..."

"But why are we even alive to begin with?" Jeice scratched his head.

Ginyu really had no clue. He supposed it was because he possibly won the bet, but the terms were that they were to be reincarnated, not suddenly resurrected. "I wish I could say, but I don't have the answer for that question." He stroked his chin. "...Wait..." He had an idea. "Ok, guys, this is going to look really weird, but bear with me a few moments."

The others cocked their heads and raised their eyebrows in confusion. Turning away from them, Ginyu looked up to the sky. "King Kai, are you there?" He was met with silence. "...King Kai?" Again, no response. Was he no longer able to communicate with the cricket king now that he was in the world of the living? "King Kai, if you're there, I could really use some answers right about now!" When he was left without a response a third time, Ginyu swore under his breath. Granted, he was sort of happy to be alive again, but was the bet still on in that case? There was no way he wanted to risk doing anything to bring about the end of his existence.

"Oi, Cap'n, who ya talkin' to?"

"My guardian cricket."

"O-Oh... Uh, right then..." The former second-in-command decided not to pry any further. "...Well, if he ain't chirpin', why don't you have a bit of the goodies the squinty sheila brought out for us?"

"Oh-ho, yeah. You're really gonna love the spread, Cap," Recoome chimed in, rubbing his hands together, his perceived rivalry over the heart of Mrs. Briefs all but forgotten. "You wouldn't believe how good some of this stuff is! I don't think we ever had it this good, even when we was workin' for Frieza!" His subordinates ushered him over to the large round table, bursting with treats. It was a very picturesque sight, arranged by a person who knew the ins and outs of being a good hostess. Through the multitude of pastries, a delightful red velvet cake with buttercream frosting and decorated with little candy flowers around the edge caught Ginyu's eye. He carved a neat little slice with a nearby cake knife and placed it with care on a free saucer. Grabbing a fork in his free hand, the captain brought the baked marvel to his lips.

He rumbled deep in his throat. "Oh, man...  **That's**  the stuff..." He closed his eyes, savoring the sweet morsel.

"It's good, ain't it?" Recoome laughed, returning to his own uneaten slice.

'Good' was an understatement. At the round outdoor table big enough for five, parked in the shade on the most beautiful day he could imagine, this was nothing short of Heaven, plain and simple. Just for this moment, everything they had been through was entirely worth it. It was enough to make a battle-hardened soldier a bit misty-eyed...

Ginyu lifted his head to the sky, taking in the sight of a clear blue sky, one of many Earth oddities. It really was a strangely beautiful planet. He wondered just how it was it managed to stay off of the Planet Trade radar all this time. As a long contrail passed across the sky, he felt genuinely at peace. Another contrail followed, and he raised an eyebrow, but otherwise didn't think too much of it. When two more followed behind the second, he began to get a little suspicious.

"Oh, my... Is there an airshow going on?"

Like some sort of great blonde ninja, Mrs. Briefs reappeared beside the captain, a pitcher of lemonade in hand. Ginyu cast a glance to her, then back to the sky, where several more contrails had appeared. His brow furrowed. He didn't like the look of this. It reminded him of darker things.

As if picking up on Ginyu's discomfort, the others set their sights on the sky as well. By the looks on their faces, they regarded the contrails with the same suspicion. "Captain..."

"Yeah, I know." He set his barely-eaten cake on the table. "You'll have to excuse us, Mrs. Briefs. We have some last-minute business to attend to."

"Oh? But I was just about to make parfaits for everyone..."

The behemoth uttered a sad little whimper. Ginyu just patted his back. "I'm afraid we'll have to take a raincheck on that. On behalf of the Ginyu Force, I thank you for your hospitality, Mrs. Briefs. ...And everything else, too."

"...Everything else?"

"Men, let's be off!"

The five took to the air without hesitation, rocketing to the skies above.

As they made their ascent, the number of contrails grew to a swarm. Flying nearer and nearer, they could see that they weren't contrails, but ki trails! By the time the Ginyus reached the height of the swarm, they were almost at the tail end. The frigid air at the high altitude stung at their skins, but the sights before them put the pain at the back of their minds. They could see so many, many different people. Some were large and some were small, some close to human and others nowhere near, but all of them were rougher sorts. As they sped up to get closer to the front, no one even raised an eyebrow. They fit right in with the caravan.

Moving toward the middle of the pack, they could see that even Planet Trade soldiers were within the swarm. Some were lower level soldiers, and a few Ginyu even recognized. He was a little surprised to see Cui there, and he was damn sure Zarbon and Dodoria had perished on Namek. So, they weren't the only ones to come back to life... But what the heck? It took him weeks upon weeks to learn how to fly again, but these guys who had been dead far longer than he were up and at it like nothing ever changed! Maybe the rules were different with actual living bodies in the living world, rather than just essentially being reanimated corpses in the world of the dead? But wait... _If those three are here, could that mean..?_

Ginyu sped ahead with the others scrambling to keep up. As they flew along at top speed, the swarm began to funnel to the front runners, with one lone race horse way in the lead. The captain narrowed his eyes. Looking ahead, he could see a bustling city below. So then, the compound where he'd spent his froggy years was a part of a larger megalopolis... As they passed over, he could see that the leader of the swarm was arcing for a speedy descent. The rest of his entourage followed suit. Ginyu also began to descend, breaking off from the pack to an adjacent area where he and his men could go unnoticed.

Further into the heart of the city, explosions could be heard, and a few plumes of smoke could be spotted on the street. The Force landed on a rooftop nearest the action. The captain peered over the building's edge and saw a practical parade of undead shambling about the city streets. A little further down the road, his eyes spied a battle taking place. A man with a trailing red cape and white bandana fired off a yellow ki ball at the zombie horde, knocking them down as easily as bowling pins. Meanwhile, a young, dark-haired girl fought atop a skyscraper within viewing distance, opting for a close combat approach, kicking the royal mess out of the shambling menaces. The mystery man came to her aid, supporting her with a well-timed ki blast.

"Gohan, what on earth is going on?"

"Good question... But as long as you and I are here, Videl, it'll be all right!" He gave her a thumbs-up. She returned one in kind.

"Don't get too full of yourselves, you two!" A voice rang out, clear as a bell.

Ginyu  _knew_  that voice...

Turning his head in the direction of the call, the captain could see a lone figure standing on a rooftop not far from their own.

Thumping his tail in a threatening manner, the figure cast his gaze down to Gohan and Videl, laughing coldly.

The half-Saiyan recognized him immediately. "Frieza!"

"Frieza!" The whole Force exclaimed in unison.  _This_  was Frieza? Gone were the pink body, horns and heavy bone plating... This Frieza was a brilliant alabaster, polished purple carapaces on his head, shoulders, and abdomen glinting in the sunlight.

"Ah, to think that a common stranger like you would know my name... I am truly honored." He took a gracious bow.

Gohan smirked. "Ha, I'm hardly a stranger. I met you when I was just a child on Namek. Though, it's not surprising that you wouldn't remember me." He reached to remove his sunglasses.

"What!" Frieza paused for thought, and then was taken aback. "You're Son Goku's-"

"That's right! I'm the son of Goku!" He tossed away his glasses, bandana, and cape, breaking into a flurry of poses. "Defender of justice—Son Gohan!" Videl applauded his routine, so over the top that not even the Ginyus knew what to think.

Ginyu shook his head. There would be time to critique the boy's performance later. Not only had Frieza appeared, but now Goku's son, all grown up? It was a lot to take in for the horned leader. Still, he couldn't ignore the situation unfolding in front of him. He turned back to his men. "Stay here. That's an order." With that, he sped off.

"Captain!" They all cried out. While their leader barreled toward Frieza, the former tyrant of the universe just smirked. "Then, the sins of the father shall be answered upon the son."

"So sorry to interrupt!"

Both parties turned to this new voice that emerged. There stood Captain Ginyu, hand resting on the sword nestled in his scabbard while the other hung freely at his side. He looked at his former employer with a steely gaze, betrayed by a bit of a smirk. "Frieza, I didn't recognize you in your new outfit! Is it new?"

The small lord returned his smirk, unfettered by his smart remark. "Oh, this old thing?" He hid a laugh behind his hand. "Of course, you've never seen my true form, so it's no surprise. But you forget yourself, Captain Ginyu." Frieza's smirk quickly faded into a frown of marked disapproval. "You are to address me as  **Lord** Frieza, or did your knowledge of that change along with your attire?" He thumped his tail once more. "I shall overlook this transgression just this once. You're a bit late, but now that you're here, dispose of the son of that wretched ape."

"My apologies, but I'm afraid I can no longer oblige you."

Frieza's eyes narrowed.

"You see, I came to a very important realization during the time I spent here on Earth, and in Hell," Ginyu continued, his gravelly voice rolling out. "Important enough to know that this isn't gonna work for me anymore, this whole 'killing in your name' business. So, please consider this my formal resignation. But for what it's worth..." He drew his sword. "I truly respected you back then. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to serve." He dropped to one knee and held his sword upright, placing his free hand over his chest and bending forward in a Brenchian show of deep respect.

The tyrant crossed his arms and remained silent a while, but eventually broke into a quiet, bitter laugh. "You should know, Captain Ginyu, that you can't simply up and quit being a soldier of mine with a mere statement..."

He re-sheathed his sword and shrugged. "Well, I kind of figured, but I thought I'd give it a shot."

"You would have done well to stay hidden in the shadows like some creeping little beast, but then, fading into the background was never your style, was it?" Nasty feet gripped tightly to the roof's edge.

"I'm afraid not. Diamonds don't shine in the dark, after all." He smiled politely.

"Cap'n Ginyu!" Jeice and the others rocketed to their leader. Ginyu spun around, angered.

"I told you all to stay back!"

"Sorry, Cap'n, but you're off yer nut if you think we'd hang back at a moment like this." The Red Magma stepped forward. "Frieza! I quit, too!" He was frightened beyond belief, but he was going to be brave, even if it killed him.

"So do I!" Burter chimed in, practically growling.

"That goes for me, too!" Guldo shouted, all four eyes blazing.

"And me!" Recoome bellowed. "A resignation from Captain Ginyu is a resignation from all of us!"

"Oh, look! The vermin are rebelling!" The tyrant mocked. Then with a furious final thump of his tail, he raised him arm high. "See that they suffer!"

The great swarm of fighters rose up into the air, barreling toward the Ginyus. Their former Planet Trade allies were nothing to worry about, but who knew what these other rough sorts were about? In the lavender leader's mind, there was only one way to find out.

"Welp, I guess we've got some fighting to do! You boys ready?" The captain unsheathed his sword once again.

"Hah, I was born ready!" Surprisingly, Guldo was the first to step forward, certainly a change from their first monster-filled adventure in Hell.

"Heck, yeah! After everything we've been through, this is nothing!" Recoome socked a fist into an open palm, grinning wildly.

"I'll do my best," said the newly humbled Burter quietly, the air of arrogance that once hung around him completely absent.

"Captain, I'm not afraid anymore." Jeice made fists of his hands, wearing a stony expression worthy of Ginyu himself.

"Then, come at us, you scoundrels!" Ginyu shouted at the mob, pointing his sword forward. "Come and face the new and improved Ginyu Force!"

The tyrant just laughed an evil laugh. "Now  **this**  should be interesting!"

"Frieza, have you forgotten about me?" Gohan called out, smirking.

He turned his attention back to the son of Goku. "Oh, not at all. I'd much rather kill your father, but I'll take just as much pleasure in killing you, myself." His tail thrashed about in excitement.

The half-Saiyan rocketed straight toward Frieza. With barely any time to register it, the tyrant found himself on the receiving end of a ki-charged punch deep into his gut. With an added energy shot from Gohan, Frieza's body was blown away, releasing a thick, purple plume of smoke into the air. The swarm stopped dead in its flight path. Horrified by the sight of their leader defeated with just one blow, the minions quickly dispersed, forgetting all about the poor Ginyus.

"...Oh,  **bullshit!** " Ginyu was angry beyond belief. He had some really good one-liners he'd be dying to try out, and the battle had ended before it even began! He re-sheathed his sword in a huff. His anger quickly subsided, though, when it donned on him that he and his men stood up to Frieza… and survived.

"Wow, heh. We're really free, aren't we?" Recoome came to the same realization just as quickly.

"Ha, I suppose we are," Ginyu grinned.

Gohan flew over to the group, with Videl shakily puttering behind. "You're that Captain Ginyu, aren't you?" The young man regarded him cautiously, casting a glance to the other four.

"The one and only!" He puffed out his chest. "And you're Goku's boy? Sheesh, you shot up... But you're lookin' good, kiddo! I'll let your dad know you're comin' up nicely if I see him again."

Gohan blinked. "My dad? You've seen him?"

"Yeah, he's a real busybody, that one," Ginyu laughed. "But he's a good guy. If I knew on Namek what I know now, things woulda been a lot different, let me tell you... But listen, I'd love to stay and chat, but we've got places to go and lives to live. See ya around." Ginyu turned to blast off.

"Just a minute." Gohan stepped in front of him. "Just because you've broken ties with Frieza doesn't make you a good person. I'm not going to let you have your run of the Earth for just that much."

"Hey, I get where you're coming from, Junior, but don't worry," Recoome chimed in. "Cap said we weren't gonna do bad stuff anymore, so we're not. Cross our hearts." He 'drew' an X over his chest with sincerity. "And anyway, we don't even  **wanna**  do bad stuff anymore, so don't sweat it." The others nodded in agreement.

Gohan regarded their words thoughtfully. True, their ki wasn't overloaded with the evil he felt in the past, but still, he wasn't entirely convinced. "Then, what will you do now?"

The burly leader crossed his arms and pondered, then looked over his shoulder to his men. "Well, I don't know about you guys, but I sure wouldn't mind having some more of that cake Mrs. Briefs served up." They all liked the sound of that.

Gohan's ki flared up. "What did you do to Mrs. Briefs!"

"Calm down! Jeez! We ate what we were offered and were generally pleasant! And anyway, she and Mr. Mustache have taken care of me all these years, and there's no way I'd betray their kindness!" Ginyu snorted, considerably offended.

That's right… Ginyu had been transported to Earth along with the rest of them, albeit as a frog… "Then, you've been living on the Capsule Corporation grounds this whole time?"

"On the nose, ribbit!" He replied jokingly.

"Ooh! Yeah! I wanna have me an honest-to-God parfait!" The behemoth blurted out, as though he hadn't been paying attention to the previous exchange. "I'm gonna eat all the parfaits in the world!"

"All of them?" Burter raised an eyeridge, thoroughly amused.

"You only live once, so you may as well do what makes you happy, right?"

He opened his mouth to point out this was the second time they were alive, but just sighed and chuckled. "You're absolutely right."

"So it's settled! Cake and parfaits with the Missus, it is!" The captain laughed heartily. "Oh, hey, kiddo. Just one thing: When you pose like that… You know, when you throw in a lot of extra bells and whistles in a routine… It's better to have someone else join you, get some choreography going. It just looks stupid when you do it all by your lonesome."

"Yeah, dude. That's like, Basic Posing 101," Recoome chuckled. "Hey, your lady friend seems to be into your stuff, though. Why not get her in on the deal?"

"I… Uh…" the young Saiyan blushed. "Do my poses really look stupid?" He asked Videl quietly.

"No way, they're awesome!" She squared her hands on her hips. "But still, maybe they're on to something with that choreography suggestion. I mean, we're already sort of a crime-fighting duo. Maybe it wouldn't hurt to have  **two**  matching costumed heroes…"

Gohan's eyes lit up. Ginyu knew that look. It was the light of style in the making.

"Anyway, take care of yourself, kid." Ginyu's aura flickered and swam around him. "Men! Let's move out!" They made no motion to head out, and instead stared back at him blankly. "…What?"

"Captain…" Burter uttered. "Your aura…"

"Hm?" Ginyu held out his arm. Instead of being tinged with purple, as it was with all of Frieza's minions, his aura was instead bordered in a golden blaze. "Woah…"

"Well, ain't that a kick in the head! Let me have a go!" The behemoth's own aura flickered on, a matching gold. "Well, well…"

Guldo, Burter, and Jeice followed suit. All five had blazing gold auras matching Ginyu's. "Huh... Wonder what happened?" Guldo asked, examining himself.

"Well, Cap  **did**  say we were going to be 'positively golden' at the end of all this," Recoome laughed.

Ginyu rubbed the back of his head. "I didn't think it would be quite so literal…" The others had a good chuckle at that. "Anyway, let's get going." Ginyu turned to Gohan. "Will you stop us?"

"I think it'll be all right, Gohan." Videl placed a hand on his shoulder.

The young Saiyan nodded in agreement. "I think so, too, Videl." He turned back to Ginyu. "I don't know what happened to make you have a change of heart, but I'm glad it did." He smiled his father's smile. "But, well… Um, do you know the way back to the Briefs' place?"

Now it was Ginyu's turn to blush. "O-Of course I know the way!" He crossed his arms. " …But if you were to tell me about some sort of alternate route, I wouldn't be opposed."

The Saiyan youth gave them the proper directions and waved them farewell as they blasted off across the sky. Very little had changed since their first meeting on Namek, he realized. They were still a weird bunch that had their own code of ethics and their own way of doing things.  _In a different world, who knows? We probably could have been friends._

"Who  **were**  those guys, Gohan?" Videl asked, genuinely confused.

He placed a hand on his head. It was an incredibly loaded question. "They were... memories. Just… memories."


	14. Chapter The Last

For some reason, everything just seemed better.

The red velvet cake was sweeter and moister than he remembered. The tea was more fragrant than he recalled. Even the silverware seemed more highly polished since the last time he spied it.

Ginyu could hear the raucous laughter of his men, parked in the shade of a large tree nearby as they told hilarious anecdotes, no doubt, but he wasn't really listening to their words. No, he was very content to sit at the large table—now entirely clear of the spread Mrs. Briefs had so graciously provided—and calmly sip his tea. It wasn't a flavor he'd ever encountered before today. 'Jasmine,' she called it. It had a subtle sweetness that was a nice break from the sugary pastries he'd spent the afternoon savoring.

He had to laugh at himself, just a little. Before all this began, Ginyu would never have entertained the idea of living a peaceful, uneventful existence. Of course, he had never had the time to just stop and look around to see the glory in simply being, or the desire, for that matter... Being dead had given him a new appreciation for life. Men live, beasts live, trees live, but their time is always finite, and barring game-breaking means like the dragonballs, death was everlasting. The captain rested his head on his hand as he listened to the gentle rustling of leaves, enjoying the little breeze what caused it. He wondered how the Ginyu Frogs were doing and thought about paying them a visit, then caught himself and enjoyed a hearty laugh. Oh, what a life he had lived! But it had been _his_  life, and he had probably seen more in his years as a man and beast than most people ever would. All in all, despite his personal failings, Ginyu had no regrets. After all, it was only through performing misdeeds that he was able to meet and form a bond with his men. He just accepted that he had to take the bad with the good and could move forward from there. They could all move forward now.

Of course, figuring out what 'moving forward' actually constituted for them, that was the hard part. For reasons beyond him, they were all alive. Ginyu breathed a quiet sigh. He hadn't known a life outside of waiting for orders to conquer one civilization or the next. Should he try to make a life for them all on Earth? Could they really be happy in such a place? So many unknowns... He rubbed his temples, feeling a bit frustrated. With a snort and a little "Harrumph," Ginyu decided to push those thoughts aside and just enjoy the momentary pleasure of a nice day outdoors and his new favorite, jasmine tea. He lifted the tea to his lips, but was disappointed to find he had already drunk it down to the last drop.

As if sensing a disturbance in the Force, Mrs. Briefs reappeared, sterling silver teapot in hand. "My goodness! You boys certainly made short work of the shortcakes!" She giggled at her little joke. "I thought I'd check to see if there was anything else I could get you all, but it looks like everyone is ready to just enjoy the nice weather."

"Actually, I seem to be out of tea. Would you be so kind, Missus?"

"Oh, certainly, dear!" She poured the aromatic brew without missing a beat.

"Th-Thank you..." He turned his attention to his cup, hoping she wouldn't notice his faint blush. He wasn't used to dealing with lady types at all. Breathing in the tea's floral scent, Ginyu immediately began to relax. "...Mrs. Briefs?"

"Hmm? What is it, sweetie?"

"I... That is, Mr. Funny Frog... Y'oughta know that he's ok where he is. He's doing just fine. I'm sure if he could, he'd thank you and Mr. Mustache for taking care of him. Actually, he wouldn't be able to thank you enough."

She drew a coy hand up to her chest. "Oh, Ginyu, you're sweeter than a pie made of cakes," she gave him a warm smile. "But who is this Mr. Mustache?" The blonde took her moment. "...Oh! You must mean my husband, Dr. Briefs," she giggled, as she was wont to do, but then, drew a hand to her cheek. "But... I never mentioned my husband having a mustache. Why would you know something like that?"

"Er, ah... I..." Ginyu took his own moment, quickly raising his cup to his lips. "Ah!" Unexpectedly, the teacup slipped out of his grasp, spilling his beloved jasmine tea all over the table.

"Oh, dear! I should have warned you that the tea was hot. I'm so sorry, Ginyu. Here, let me clean that up."

"No, really. It's my fault. I-" As he reached for the cup, he saw a sight that sunk his heart.

His hands had begun to fade once again. Ginyu swiftly ducked his hands under the table, a motion that did not go unnoticed by his gracious hostess. "Oh, no, did it burn you?"

"No, please. I'm fine, really."

"Let me see." She reached for his arm.

"Mrs. Briefs, please..."

"I'll put some aloe on it." She pulled at his left arm, and he did not resist. "Now if you'll just-"

With all the rarity of a blue moon, Mrs. Briefs' eyes opened wide, the striking color of lapis lazuli. By this time, Ginyu's hand had nearly faded to nothing. She looked to him, rightfully confused. "Ginyu?"

He could only look back at her with sad eyes and a sadder smile. "Men," he called to them. "It's time to go. Come and say goodbye to Mrs. Briefs."

His command was met with grumbles. "Aww, can't we stay a bit longer, Cap'n Ginyu?" Jeice whined.

"I'm afraid it's not up to me!" He waved his free arm at them, now missing a hand with his arm on its way out. Alarmed, the others looked to their own bodies to discover that they, too, had begun to fade. They were having so much fun, they didn't even notice. Hurriedly, they trotted over to Ginyu. With one last sigh, their leader gently tugged away from Mrs. Briefs' grip, moving to join his men. "Are... Are you all ghosts?"

Ghosts? Well, that was as good an explanation as any, he supposed. "Yeah, I guess you could say that." He smiled. "Now come on, guys. We don't have a lot of time, so show the Missus some manners."

"Thank you for your hospitality, ma'am. It was a pleasure." Burter gave a curt little nod of his head and a genuine smile.

"And not just any old pleasure! The best pleasure ever! Real swell of you to oblige us, ma'am. Thank you!" Guldo delivered a more enthusiastic take.

"Too right! Why, a man could die with no regrets gettin' just a nibble o' that spread! Thanks a bundle!" Jeice upped the enthusiasm ante.

"Oh, man, Mrs. Briefs, you make the best parfaits in the galaxy! No, in the universe! And I oughta know!" The behemoth puffed out his chest. "Heck, thanks for bein' awesome, Missus." And Recoome won the hand.

"And like I said, I can't thank you enough for all that you've done." The comment would be lost on her, but it didn't matter.

"Whoop! There I go!" They turned to find Guldo as just barely a head. "Well, see you guys when I do! Goodbye, Mrs. Briefs!" And there he went. True, they had gone through this already, but couldn't he be just a little less chipper about it?

"My turn, I guess..." Jeice was markedly less thrilled about having to go through another disappearing act. "Thanks again, Missus! Think well on us, when you will!" The Red Magma faded away to join his green teammate.

Burter laughed aloud, a sound almost as rare as the sight of Mrs. Briefs' blue eyes. "It really  **was**  a nice spread. Even if it was just for today, I'm glad I could meet you. Goodbye, Mrs. Briefs." The Blue Hurricane followed, not one to leave his partner alone.

"Man, what the heck? That was my line!" Recoome just settled for a wave and disappeared in a huff.

Ginyu laughed despite himself. Even as he faded away, even as Mrs. Briefs' brow scrunched in sadness, all he could do was laugh. "Take care of yourself, and give my regards to your husband! Ribbit, ribbit!"

And in what may have been a personal record for her, she immediately understood. Ignoring the tears prickling at the corners of her eyes, Mrs. Briefs waved to Ginyu with abandon as he faded from her sight.

* * *

When Ginyu came to, he could tell immediately that he was back in Otherworld. When he pawed the air above his head, the halo that reclaimed its home confirmed it. He was understandably disappointed.

"Hey, guys. Cap's here now."

The others looked up at Recoome's words and greeted him wordlessly. Like himself, his subordinates were also in low spirits. The taste of the good dish called life stuck to their palettes like a fudge-coated biscuit. He looked around. This time, they hadn't been dumped in some portion of Hell. Actually, they seemed to be in some kind of waiting room. A large viewing screen was at the far end of the room, though it didn't seem to be turned on at the moment. Sitting against the adjacent walls were two large red couches that faced each other, where his men had taken up residence. Turning around he saw directly behind him was an unmanned receptionist's desk with a little bell perched atop. A sign hung on the front of the desk in that same language he didn't understand. He assumed it said something to the effect of 'ring bell for service', and shrugging, went to test his theory. It rang out a pleasant little  _ding!_ , and sure enough, a familiar ogre appeared.

"Glasses! Didn't expect to see you here."

"Oh! The beefy fellow with the special clothing request!" Glasses pushed his own further up the bridge of his nose. "I'm sorry I wasn't out to meet you. We only just got the check-in station back to normal, and due to a rather large mishap, we're being stretched thin at the moment."

Mishap? Perhaps whatever this 'mishap' was had something to do with them and Frieza and the rest suddenly coming back to life. "Well, since you were summoned here, I suppose that means North and South Kai will be meeting with you shortly."

"Hmm? We were summoned?"

"Of course. This room is for special appointments only. Souls are only permitted here if they've been specifically requested by the executive staff." He pushed up his glasses once again. "Well, all that aside, I'll have to ask that you return the Life Pen and map of Hell that were lent to you."

"Yeah, sure thing." He produced both items from under his breastplate. "Though you oughta know this map you gave me is woefully outdated."

"Oh?" Glasses opened the map, and sure enough, the Monster Plateau was uncharted. "Goodness, my apologies. But it seems you were resourceful enough to navigate your way through without issue," he smiled politely. The ogre could see that four others were sitting further back. "Oh, and are those your men that you were searching for?"

"Yup! Found 'em all!" Ginyu puffed out his chest.

"Well, congratulations, then." He smiled politely once again. "I'll have to put these away a moment. If you'll excuse me..." The ogre gave a curt little bow and disappeared behind the courtesy counter. Ginyu, meanwhile, occupied a nice little spot against the wall by Recoome and Guldo's couch, crossing his arms and leaning back. "I guess the moment of truth is soon to arrive..." He muttered to himself.

"Hm? Moment of truth, Captain?" Recoome looked at him quizzically.

Ginyu shrugged. "You'll find out soon enough."

'Soon enough' became 'that very moment' as the aforementioned Kais came strolling in, Goku trailing behind them. "Well, well! Long time no see!" King Kai raised his hand in greeting.

The captain turned to face the cricket kings. "Well, hey there, King Kai, South Kai, Goku. What's the good word?"

"You tell me! Things have been a mess here like you wouldn't believe!" The blue cricket produced a handkerchief from nowhere and dabbed at his brow.

"Oh, I'd believe it. I'd believe it in a second..." Ginyu shook his head. "But seein' as things are back to normal now..." He flicked his halo. "Mind lettin' us know why we were summoned?"

"Of course!" King Kai waggled a pudgy finger. "With my incredible powers of foresight, I thought we might have a bit of a shakeup while we presided over the bet, so I took some precautions."

"Precautions?"

King Kai nodded. Proceeding to the counter, the small god quickly realized that he couldn't actually see over the top. "Ahem... Ding!"

Glasses came trotting back, quick as lightning. "Oh, my! Greetings, North Kai!"

"Hello, my good man! Could you please retrieve the recording I requested?"

"Why certainly!" Glasses disappeared beneath the counter, quickly producing a jewel case with a shiny disc of some sort. The case itself was labeled 'North/South Kai bet – Ginyu Force'. "Would you like to view it now?"

King Kai nodded affirmatively. Glasses stepped from behind the counter and made his way to the viewing screen, which had a slit just long and wide enough to receive the disk, and slipped it in without a hitch. The screen powered up immediately.

Ginyu rubbed the back of his head. "King Kai, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little confused. What are we watching?"

"Why, your exploits, of course!" The cricket king placed his arms behind his back. "Because of some disruptive happenings, I'm afraid we weren't able to preside over the bet properly past a certain point, but thanks to the marvels of DVR, we can go back and review the footage!"

"DVR?"

"Deceased Villain Recording," Glasses chimed in, handling a remote control like a pro.

South Kai just snorted. "What my diminutive little companion isn't telling you is that we were scheduled to attend the Otherworld Tournament and didn't have time to watch your events unfold, and just decided to record it for later."

"...So my live broadcast was downgraded to a direct-to-video release?" Suddenly his spirits were even lower than before.

"Well, shoot! Even  **we** have things to do, you know!" King Kai dabbed at his brow again.

"Hey, don't sweat it, Ginyu," Goku chimed in, his tone of typical Goku cheer. "I'll bet you guys had all sorts of adventures since the last time I visited. And just think; now everyone will be able to see your coolest scenes whenever they want, as many times as they want!"

Ginyu stroked his chin. He hadn't thought of it that way. "Well, in that case, fire it on up, Glasses!"

The blue ogre chuckled. "The Otherworld Interdimensional Video Services are the best in existence. As long the target exists, our interdimensional cameras can follow him anywhere, and with some nice cinematography if you purchase the premium service." That Glasses sure knew how to sell it. He really was the sort that was happily married to his job. "Here you are, North Kai, sir." Glasses passed the remote to him, the screen displaying the main menu.

"Ooh, it's even split up into chapters!" King Kai thumbed through the scenes. "Ah, this looks to be about where we left off..." He selected the scene in question, spying Goku and Ginyu together in the Gripless on the thumbnail image.

"Ok, so help me out here," Burter piped up, thoroughly confused. "Aside from the fact that being filmed without our knowledge or consent is downright creepy, why are we going through and watching what we've already done?"

"Shh! All will be revealed after we review the footage," the blue Kai shushed him. It was viewed mostly in fast forward mode—understandably, this was  **weeks'**  worth of film they had to review—but with Kai eyes, even with the recording sped up, none of their exploits would escape their sights. Several minutes of scanning passed without anything in particular raising a flag. Through the Gripless and into the Monster Plateau, nothing seemed remotely suspect.

"Ah, I guess that would be about the time that mishap took place," King Kai muttered, noting the Ginyus suddenly disappearing from the Plateau. South Kai just gave a little grunt in acknowledgment. "Oh, wow, you all actually ended up on Earth a while. This should be interesting..." The blue Kai smirked.

"Oh yeah, speaking of..." Ginyu turned to Goku. "I saw your son while we were on Earth, Goku. He's really shot up somethin' fierce since our little soirée on Namek." He ended on a chuckle.

"You did? Awesome!" Of all things, he didn't expect to hear about his eldest son from Ginyu of all people. "Is he doing well?"

"Oh, you bet. He's defending cities and winning the hearts of young damsels and everything!"

The Saiyan felt a pang of fatherly pride in his heart. He was glad to know that Gohan was doing well despite his absence.

"Ah-ha! There we go."

Everyone turned their attention to the screen. King Kai placed the video back on normal speed, where they could see the exchange between Ginyu and Frieza, and soon the other Ginyus. He turned up the volume, interested in every word they had to say. They watched as the swarm of revived fighters advanced upon them, watched as Gohan put Frieza to end, watched as Ginyu and Gohan shared their own words, and then...

"There it is." King Kai paused the scene. All five of them, gold auras ablaze, frozen on the screen, auras free of the purple taint so common of those with evil in their hearts. "Well, I think we've seen what we needed to see. Wouldn't you agree, South Kai?"

"Hmph. Don't pat yourself on the back too hard..." He grumbled.

"Aww, don't be sore, South Kai. I know it's hard losing your classic convertible, but I just can't help  **driving**  the point home!" King Kai guffawed and giggle-snorted, breathing a sigh when he could snort no further. "Well, I suppose it's time I let the rest of your men on our little secret." He did nothing to suppress his huge grin. "You see, South Kai here and I invited Ginyu to participate in a little bet of ours, namely, to see if an evil soul could change, given the chance. If he succeeded, he would be rewarded with reincarnation. If he failed, he would be wiped from existence. Your captain took it a step further and negotiated for reincarnation for all of you as well, if he won the bet. But if he or any of you slipped back into doing evil deeds, he could kiss his existence goodbye, no questions asked. Well, I'm here to tell you..." He turned his back and held a dramatic pause, then spun back around. "You all totally killed it! Congratulations, boys!"

"Y... Y'mean... We get to live again?" Jeice asked, trying to wrap his head around the concept.

The smaller Kai nodded. "That's right. You'll be starting over as new people with new lives."

"But... if we're reincarnated, that means we won't be us anymore..!" Guldo shrank a bit, a feat in itself.

"True, you won't have your same bodies and you won't have memories of your past lives," King Kai began. "But your soul is your soul and nothing can change that. No matter what the outsides look like, you are you."

"Hm. Actually, I wouldn't mind something in a smaller model." Burter began. "I can't imagine I'll have an easy time shopping for clothes being this big," he chuckled.

"Hey, now that you mention it, I would mind adding a few inches of height and dropping this spare tire, myself..." Guldo lifted his gut to illustrate his point. "I guess if I think of it like that, reincarnation doesn't sound like a bad deal at all! Hey, Jeice! How's that body type working out for you?"

"Pretty well! As far as  **my**  new body goes, as long as I can still have killer good looks, I'll be satisfied." He slicked back his downy hair.

"...Captain Ginyu, you risked your very existence for us?" Recoome looked to his leader with wide eyes. "I don't care what kinda person I end up as. Just knowing I'll get to live again because you cared enough to include us is enough for me. You're a real swell guy, Cap." The behemoth grinned ear to ear.

"Yeah, that's our Cap'n for ya, always lookin' out!" Jeice gave Ginyu a playful slap on the back.

A faint blush crept across Ginyu's face. "...As if I could abandon you meatheads!" He laughed a hearty laugh. "Well, King Kai, what happens now?"

"Ah, if I may?" Glasses cleared his throat. "If you'll just allow me a moment to prepare a vehicle, we'll head out to the reincarnation center. That will be the last leg of your journey before you all start your new lives. Congratulations to you all." He gave them a smile far more genuine than the retail courtesy one he usually wore. "Oh, have you given any thought to where you all would like to live?"

Ginyu cocked his head. "Y'mean, we can choose?"

"Each planet has its own portal in its own section of the facility, so it will save a bit of driving if I can plan a route around your intended planets of stay."

"Well, I'd be happy settling on Planet Earth, I think. It's pretty comfortable and I'd like to actually experience it as a man, for a change." Ginyu ended on a smirk.

"Yeah, it really was a pretty planet. Hm… Much as I love ol' Brench, I think I'll see what Earth has t' offer!" Jeice nodded his head, decided.

Burter just shrugged. "Why not? I'll come, too. Maybe we'll get to meet Mrs. Briefs again someday."

When her name was mentioned, the remaining two signed on for Earth as well. They were surprisingly easy to sway when sweet treats and sweeter ladies were at stake. "Well, I think we've made our decision, Glasses. We'll all be living our new lives on Planet Earth."

The bespectacled ogre nodded. "I hear it really is a very lovely place. I wish you five all the success in the world. Now, if you'll just give me a moment to fill out the proper paperwork and grab the key, we can be on our way shortly."

The Ginyu Force bid their farewells to the Kais and Goku while Glasses busied himself with the procedures that came with his job. As promised, he was back before they knew it, and on the road in a comfortable van, on their way to their new lives.

* * *

"Rise and shine, gentlemen! We've arrived!"

Ginyu's eyes opened out of sync. He licked the inside of his mouth, feeling as it did when one goes to bed without first brushing their teeth. The captain unfastened his seatbelt and opened the passenger's side door, stepping out with a stretch and a yawn and a scratch of his belly. The drive itself was a little on the long side. Ginyu had dozed off at some point, along with the rest of his men. He had taken the front seat at Glasses' suggestion, probably foreseeing his nap and wanting to avoid an accidental goring of the others. As much as he loved the way his horns looked, it would be nice not having to always sleep with tennis balls on the ends of them, assuming he didn't end up with an even more cumbersome pair, of course…

The sounds of sliding doors opening on either side filled his ears. The other Ginyus clambered out of the vehicle, each stretching their limbs or yawning or rubbing the sleep out of their eyes. Spying the area, the setup was almost like an outdoor warehouse, but instead of being filled with crates and boxes and palettes, there were just multicolored bins arranged in a very orderly manner, stretching as far as the eye could see. Actually, it was very closely modeled to a modern recycling center.

Each bin was brightly colored with masterful renderings of different planets on the fronts of each, with captions in that strange language underneath. They must have read the names of each planet they represented.

"It's not very glamorous, I'm afraid, but this is the reincarnation center. Here, you'll find the portal you'll be entering to begin your new start on Earth," Glasses explained, gesturing to the large blue receptacle to his side.

"Yeah, no kiddin'…" Ginyu crossed his arms. "I'd have thought a place called the 'reincarnation center' would have been a bit fancier than this."

"Well, this place is modeled to be efficient, not aesthetically pleasing." He pushed up his glasses. "Not everyone is bad enough to be sent to Hell, but not everyone is good enough to make it to Heaven, either. And believe me, there  **are**  a lot of those types. For those cases, we have the reincarnation center. Everyone will eventually do well enough or poorly enough to make it to their final destination. It's just a matter of when."

"I see… This is really it, isn't it?" Ginyu breathed a heavy sigh. "Well, gents, this is our very last mission. It has been an honor to lead you, and I hope to have the pleasure of knowing you all again in our new lives on Earth. Remember, we aren't saying goodbye to us, just our old lives. I hope you'll be able to complete this final mission with no regrets. Let's go ahead and say our farewells, and we'll meet again under a clear, blue sky." He smiled warmly.

"Let's do just that. Recoome..." Burter addressed him, holding out a large paw. "It was fine working with you, and I'm sorry for everything."

"Sheesh, haven't you heard? I already forgave you." Recoome met him with his own large paw, giving him a firm handshake. "Let's meet again someday on Earth, and let's do it with no regrets, like Cap said. All right?"

"Absolutely all right." He gave the behemoth a confident grin.

"Hey! You two mammoths wanna kneel down a sec? I've got some farewellin' to do!"

Of course, they obliged their toady companion. Guldo shook hands with Recoome first. The two had always had a certain chemistry. Maybe not as strong as the one between Jeice and Burter, but it was there, all the same. "You know, I've always said this, but it bears repeating: You're all right, Recoome." He extended his pudgy little hand.

"Hey, right back at ya, bud. You make a good life for yourself on Earth, and I'll catch up with you later." The behemoth's meaty paw swallowed it right up, shaking gently, else he'd probably break his hand clean off.

"Ha, ha! You bet!" Wiggling out of Recoome's grip, Guldo traded the behemoth's paw for the saurian's even larger one.

"Hey, Burt. It was pretty neat partnerin' up with you when we fought the Skivbaku."

"Likewise. I wouldn't have thought it before, but you're a tough little fellow, aren't you?"

The esper tsked. "Better watch those 'little remarks. I may just end up taller than you!" Blue and green shared a laugh.

Meanwhile, Jeice's face was practically melting. The Red Magma had erupted in tears and was so long in the face that he was far past the point of being pitiable and around the corner to downright comical. "Burter..." He sniffled.

"Oh, my god..."

Jeice flung himself at the Blue Hurricane. "I'm gonna miss ya, mate!" He sobbed, dripping hot magma tears (Burter hoped that's all they were) on his partner's bare skin. "And you, too, Recoome!" He looked to the behemoth, somehow crying even more intensely than before. "And even you, Guldo!" He sniffled, then resumed bawling like an infant.

Burter couldn't even bring himself to feel annoyed. "Uh... There, there..." He gave Jeice's back a half-hearted pat. Recoome just laughed and ruffled the red Brenchian's hair, while Guldo grumbled, but gave in to the humor of the situation and had a laugh of his own.

Captain Ginyu shook his head. He was really going to miss his chowderheads as they were, but in his heart, he truly wished they could meet again in the next life. "Ok, guys. Bring it in. I've got one last thing to take care of."

The Ginyus lined up before him, Jeice taking care to fix his face as best he could. "Recoome, step forward, please."

"Huh?" The behemoth spared a glance to his teammates before stepping before Ginyu. "Recoome, you've really carried the team through this entire ordeal. Embarrassing as it is to admit, I'd probably be dead twice over if not for your unconventional thinking. You kept a cool head and assessed different situations as they came, and really went above and beyond your duty as a member of the Ginyu Force. Therefore, it is my great honor to bestow you the title of second-in-command."

The behemoth's heart fluttered. "R… Really?"

"Really really! Any objections?" Ginyu called to the others.

"Ha, ha! No way! You've earned it, big guy!" Jeice gave his teammate a double thumbs-up, his mood turning a complete 180.

"Definitely. No objections here." Burter nodded, wearing a proud smile.

"Heck yeah! I'm behind the decision 9,001 percent!" Guldo clapped.

"Then, kneel down, Recoome, and I'll make it official."

Recoome sat on his knees and placed his hands on his thighs. Ginyu stood straight as a pillar and thumped a fist twice over his heart, then thumped the same fist twice over Recoome's. Then, cupping his hands behind the behemoth's head, Ginyu brought their foreheads to touch, then gave him a gentle headbutt. Not enough to cause pain, but just enough to be more than a tap. "Ya done good, big guy!"

Ginyu stepped away and squared his hands on his hips, giving the behemoth the biggest smile he had to offer. The other Ginyus applauded their comrade's well-deserved promotion, genuinely happy for him. But after the applause died down, Ginyu's smile faded to a look of confusion. The behemoth still remained knelt there, unmoving.

"What's wrong?" The captain asked. "Aren't you happy?"

Recoome looked to him with puppy dog eyes, his bottom lip quivering.

 _Aw,_ _jeez_ _…_  Sighing, Ginyu held out his arms as wide as they would allow. "Come on."

Recoome hugged him tight, tighter than he had ever hugged anyone. "Gonna miss you, Cap…" A little tear rolled down his cheek.

"…Yeah. Gonna miss you, too," Ginyu breathed quietly, patting his back.

The behemoth broke the embrace. "I'm sorry." He sniffled a bit, wiping his nose on his glove. "I'll do my best to fulfill my role as second-in-command, Captain." He gave his superior a sharp salute.

"Captain Ginyu... I hope you don't mind if I just settle for a handshake?" Burter extended a big, blue paw to his leader, smiling.

"Of course not," Ginyu replied, wearing a smile all his own and chuckling as his hand became lost in that of the Blue Hurricane's.

"It's been a real pleasure, Cap." Guldo held his arm out, and Ginyu met him in kind, giving the esper a firm handshake.

"Ha, good having you aboard, Guldo."

"Cap'n Ginyu..." Jeice uttered, making no effort to cover up his tear-streaked face. He extended his right hand to Ginyu, his palm turned upward.

"Jeice..." Ginyu extended his own, coming down on Jeice's hand with a gentle grip. Then, with their left hands, they patted the other's right shoulder exactly twice. Farewells between tribesmen were never said with words. They only spoke with their hands and with their eyes. As ruby red eyes bore into hunter green ones, the gravity of the situation fully hit Ginyu.

This was the last chapter in their lives as they were. There would be no more adventures, no more battles, no jokes, no snacks, no glory, no poses, no nothing...

But as King Kai said, no matter the appearance, they would always be them. Ginyu held the words in his heart as he turned to Glasses. "Well, I guess we'll be going now."

With a curt little nod, Glasses shuffled in his breast pocket and produced a keycard, which he swiped through the card reader mounted on the front of the bin. A hydraulic hiss emerged, and the entire front panel lifted like a garage door to reveal a dark entrance. Then, he moved around to the right side of the receptacle and lifted a small panel—not unlike the sort to house circuit breakers—and pressed a candy red button. The receptacle began to hum, as if warming up, and then, in a literal flash, the once dark entrance burst with a spiraling light.

"This is it," said Glasses. "Once you step through this portal, you'll pass the Event Horizon. Once you cross that threshold, there's no going back. Are you ready for the journey ahead?"

Ginyu breathed deeply, trying to quell his nerves. "I think we're as ready as we'll ever be." The others nodded slowly in agreement.

"Well, then, I hope you'll enjoy your new lives. Take care of yourselves."

"Don't forget, men. Our names may changes, our faces may changes, but we will always,  **always**  be us, no matter what! Don't you dare forget it!" He gave an aggressive little grin. "Let me hear it nice and loud! Who are we?"

True to form, they pumped their fists high in the air and shouted in unison: "We are the Ginyu Force!"

"All right!" Ginyu spun on his heels, facing the spiraling portal. "Glasses, keep up the good work! See ya next time we die!"

With that, he charged in unafraid, his men following suit. The five were swallowed by the hot, white light, never to know this world again, at least, not in their current lives.

The light was so intense, Ginyu found himself immediately blinded. He felt himself enter what he thought was a freefall, but as he traveled, it felt more as though he was being pulled. It became stronger, to the point where his body began to feel stretched. Ginyu was in no pain of any sort, though.

And then, he felt a sensation not unlike splashing into a body of water. Whatever he was in wasn't water at all. It was thicker, more dense, as though he were floating in a sea of syrup. It was a place full of warmth, the warmth of so many minds and souls and emotions... Ginyu could not see, and he could not hear, but he could feel in his mind and in his heart each and every presence there. For an instant, he felt one with them, and yet could preserve his own sense of self. It was a very strange state to be in. His powerful body, the one he was so familiar with, began to revert back into the cloud-like puff of a soul it had once been. Gone were his hands and feet, his muscular frame and chiseled features. Only his presence remained, distilled down to his very essence.

Suddenly, he was moving again. Something told him that this was it, the last spurt toward his new life on Earth! With a realization that manifested itself as a sudden warmth, he knew there were others travelling with him. Though he could not find the words, and even if he could, he had no mouth with which to speak them, he knew each presence well, though he did not know what to call them. While his words had left him, his numbers had not. He could feel four very distinct presences: One was fiery and passionate; another, by contrast, was quiet and reserved; the next was steadfast and true; and the last, bigger than his body, so to speak.

With this, the soul who knew not what to call even himself at this point knew that everything would be all right. Wherever his life lead and whatever he ended up as, he knew he wouldn't be alone. Locked away deep in their souls, the memories of rainbow-colored comrades would exist, carried with them into their new beginning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Epilogue: 30 years later, the former Ginyus form a dance troupe and have the strangest feeling of deja vu whenever they go out for chocolate parfaits.
> 
> Well, that's that! Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it!


End file.
